This is the third year in a row that 12 of us decided we were tired of overpriced, mediocre advent calendars and decided to make our own. Each of us is assigned 2 days and then have to buy 2 different 12 packs. Last year we wrapped each bottle or can to keep them secret until the day they were opened. This year the wife of one of us decided to make the advent calendars so we just had to get the beer delivered to her and then pick up the calendar when she was done. Of the 3 years, we've only had 1 duplicate purchase. I don't love every one of the beers but I have tried so many beers that I would never have bought myself and many of them turn out pretty darn good. Some I even seek out to get more later. Anyone else doing this? If not I highly recommend it!
My version isn't as elaborate but I did something of my own this year. I did a four beer advent. Grabbed one new to me holiday beer to enjoy each Sunday night leading up to Christmas. Two down, two to go…
Great idea. Really love it. If I just had people locally that I drank with, this would be a really cool idea. I think I would take this a step further and do them blind (so keep them wrapped) until at least partially through the bottle/can.
That's an interesting idea. This year they aren't individually wrapped but that would have been a good way to do it last year since they were wrapped.
Here is what we've had so far. Xingu Black Beer Snow Cat Elvis Juice 35th Anniversary Pilsner Gumballhead Porter Moeller Brew Barn - Salted Caramel Coffee Ale Opera Cream Stout Zombie Dust Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale Hawkes Dead & Buried Cider XMAS Pickle Rind Over Matter Orchard Yammy
Yea, I think part of the fun is really doing it blind. If you don't do it blind, the only thing that's different from pulling it out of the fridge is that someone put the box together for you. BUT, once you've seen what it is and looked at the bottle/can, your opinion are already formed. If the goal is to try cool/new stuff, and you like the surprise, then doing it Blind sounds way fun. I think it's also really cool if there's less certainty about what will be included. If you know it is all stuff that you wouldn't normally try, then while still fun, you still have preconceived notions about what you're getting into. Instead, if you know it is a mix (or at least COULD be a mix), then you really have no idea what to expect. Is this a beer that I would normally consider a banger, or is this Joe's Motor Oil that I've refused to buy since I tried it at Harry's that saturday night in 2014. Who knows!
I like this idea. Works well with the actual observing of Advent. Add a fifth beer for Christmas Day, too.
I gave a couple of these as gifts a few years ago. I used empty beer cases that still had the dividers in them so that there were 24 slots. One beer in each slot. I wrapped the full case using white paper and numbered the slots 1-24. That way, I got to define what beer (and style) they got each day. I separately wrapped a beer for the 25th.
