12 Days of Christmas - 2020

Day 6 time. Wrapping up with an A and B beer, plus a wrapped gift with instructions to open upon first reveal.
A thick dark stout. Loads of coconut on the nose. Taste follows for sure.
Benthic 2020 from Half acre brewing. I’ve had this once before and am stoked to get it again.
Day 6b is another stout. The wrapped package contained a Benthic glass so figured I needed to use it on this one. This beer is a coconut and chocolate bomb. Taste like German Chocolate cake to me.
Half acre Xtra Dubl Benthic. This is probably my favorite of the first have of the 12DOX. Thanks @SouthernSips !

 

Damn, sorry I mixed up a and b. Glad you enjoyed though.

 

The reveal...

Ellison Parallax. Cliff paid attention to my likes with this PB barrel aged brew. PB is my favorite adjunct when done well and this is great. Thanks @Lazhal !

 

Warning these next two beers are fire fire!

Christmas Day 2
This beers fucks, could easily down this bottle within minutes. Drinking like a sharp wild ale upfront taste with a big fruited on the backend. Bit tart. Has me wanted more for this Christmas day. Love this one @online


Damn was off but come to think this is the perfect Sara. Thanks for the treat @oline73 I'm not worthy

 

Day 3

Straight raspberries up front. Nice mild tart. This would be killer on a hot KY day! Fruit seems to linger more than usual leaving a different sweeter fruit end. Four or five sips in still having trouble of what it is no cinnamon so cherry out, maybe BlackBerry if some sort but another fantastic color


Anna Valiquette! An absurd amount of fruit and it was the Black currant that has that long lingering ending. Steve you done it again. Very classy my friend this beer is what I need after work. Thanks again #L4L

 

@sembo is bringing it with that 3F cork for day three. I am no lambic aficionado....but this beauty has all the funk I love in a lambic. Acidity isn’t through the roof which is also a plus. Bursting with earthy stone fruits.



The reveal



Oh living the best Zenne life. Blend 92. A wonderful beer. Thanks buddy!

 

Depression on the bottom of the bottle and non-descript cage and cork have me once again reaching for the Casey glass, but I could be being fooled again.

More raspberries again, I think. This one is less jammy than the Funk Factory and about the same level of raspberries as my previous Casey so really not sure??

Reveal soon since I've already downed this glass the fastest so far this 12DOX!

 

Day 3 from @tsgooch79 and I rolled a 5



I was thinking Cantillon from the bottle and after pulling out the cork, it was confirmed.

The beer was very smooth with just a bit of tart. Very nice and easy to drink. At first I thought I tasted apple, which I knew was wrong and then couldn't decide if it was cherry or raspberry since it was much smoother than what I'm used to with this style. I haven't had much Cantillon at all, so didn't have much of a guess.



2016 Kriek 100% Lambic Bio

Could be the best lambic I've had, such a nice treat. Thanks again @tsgooch79

 

Standard mead cork gave it away, total blueberry bomb

 

New tick from @PassMeAZima and this one is killer, thanks Jason!

 

Day 3 bottle 2, and another Standard mead. Can’t pick out the fruit on this one but definite maple flavor.

 

Still playing catch-up from Day 2... I did have the beer yesterday but never did get around to uploading it and whatnot. This beer pouted a deep red/blue/purple, and for good reason. Slightly tart, good amount of oak...



The dry finish made this bottle disappear quite quickly, as I never really did set the glass down, except for the 2nd pour pic. Thanks @ninjembro

 

@PassMeAZima continues with the wanton destruction of my liver with some insane liquid. Jason absolutely killing it!

 

On to the Hazy Cup @SouthernSips put together for myself and @Franfab. 4 hazy beers blind tastes and ratings to compare with one another. Tonight is cans A and B

This 12DOX has been a blast thus far. My toilet would disagree with the stouts I’ve encountered though. Septic system has had a work out for sure.

 

Day 3 from the choose your own adventure lineup from @ninjembro. The look, smell, and taste all screamed kriek. Lots of sweet and sour cherries, and a whole lot of funk...



Bingo! Thanks again @ninjembro!

 

Apparently my taste buds were smoking crack when I tasted raspberries, but that could be the blackberry! I wish I could of seen the look on my face when I revealed this hahaha. Though, I will say that I could smell almost like a flintstones grape smell when I poured it following the reveal.

Even though I bombed the guess, this thing was amazing. Probably the fastest I've drank a 750 this 12DOX. Thanks @Dad_of_Rad for the beer and @dmbforever for the wrapping!

On to the Hazy Cup with @sirhc3034 and @Franfab!

 

Day 3 brings another purple wax bomber. I strap on my big boy pants, grab a container of tums and get ready



Hmm, tastes sweeter, much easier drinking that day 1, but still significant heat on the back end. I assume that meant it was an older vintage



Wrong, a brand new one. Tommy kind of tipped his hand on it about peppers offline on how it might happen. This one was really enjoyable. thanks @tommyguz , I get a few nights off before back at it on Wednesday

 

Day 3 from @Dad_of_Rad



Bottle feels like Goose Island. Cap confirms my suspicions. Nose is buttery caramel at first. I want to say maple and a bit of coffee are next but there is also a fruity grape note. I'm guessing this BCBS special #4- coffee and maple but the more this warms up the less confident I am.



The reveal is BCBS Proprietors 2020. Everything I was picking up on make more sense now. Thank you @Dad_of_Rad! I'm loving the complexity of this beer.

 

Day 6 from @blassor Started this one blind. Thought it may have been Morning Delight judging by the wax alone. Once I try it I don’t get any maple.
This one is fantastic. Thanks for sending this one, Brandon! #L4L

 

Day 6 from @JasonR1975 .



Pours a bright red with lots of carb, nice funk and some nice fruit there, probably cherry. Cork says American Solera and a little research says they have a Year 4 Kriek so thats my guess.



Finally got one (with significant help from the cork...). Really nice drinker @JasonR1975 !

 

The reveal from @Sassyshe888 .



Wow. This beer is huge. Its like Fundamental Observation on steroids. So happy to try this. The ABV is readily evident ... 18% ABV.

Thank you Sheila!!

 

Day 6 (of 12) from @tommyguz poured a solid black with a tan head and was brimming with vanilla. This one seemed very similar to yesterday's beer with a ton of musty oak. The vanilla was a nice addition. I knew what this beer was based on the white wax and the vanilla.


43 month Heaven Hill BBA BBVD with vanilla beans! This was single-handedly the longest aged BBA stout I have ever had. It def showed some signs of oxidation, but that was overshadowed by the oak/barrel. The vanilla was a nice addition over the DB bourbon/rye blend from yesterday, which was also BA for 43 months. Cheers Tom! I am glad I got to try this one!


Day 3 (of 6) from @Coorsy poured a little like motor oil. I knew right off the bat this one had hazelnuts in it. I also detected some slight bourbon, but nothing else jumped out at me. The pink wax and the 500ml size bottle threw me off. I thought maybe it was another Trillium stout but didn't know which one.


Damn. A Long Live BA stout...BA Friendsgiving with hazelnuts, cocoa nibs and vanilla! This was great! The body on this was thicker without being cloyingly sweet. Once I knew what it was (and the beer warmed more), I started to pick up the cocoa and vanilla. So many times those 2 adjunct hide well in a BA stout because the vanilla resembles bourbon and the chocolate resembles the roasted/dark malts. Thanks Corey for this treat!


#TreatKilledMerv

 

Day 3 from @bl00
Guessing from the can size a few Ralphius variants.

Could tell 3a was S'Mores right away.

3b was super sweet, but I wasn't quite sure what it was.

Ralphius S'mores & White Chocolate Macadamia.
Thanks Dan

 

I got too drunk yesterday to post day 2 and do a reveal. Sorry guys!

both beers are new ticks for me and Incan say the Sacrifice from Anchorage Brewing was a coconut bomb. Thank goodness they’re in 12oz bottles because my gut is starting to feel the heavy drinking I’ve been doing.





Thank you @smanson56

 

Day 3 is so tasty! I get a bit of chocolate and definitely barrel aged. Has to be from barreled Souls due to the bottle shape and wax.



Boy was i completely off. Just when I thought I was getting better at this guessing game. Maple syrup and pecans. Another great beer from them. I need to try all of their stouts. Haha they’ve been hitting it for me.
Another new tick.

thank you for expanding my knowledge in breweries @smanson56

 

Bears got super lucky today with the Cardinals loss to SF. But you know this means that they lose on Sun vs one of the absolute worst teams in the league ; )

 

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! What was the deal with Imgur yesterday? Ended up loading yesterday’s pics today. On to Day 5 & Day 6.

Day 5: Headed back to the East Coast with this red hued beauty.



Definitely cherry. Super tart. Nice end to the day.



Growing Season : Cherry by Sapwood. Thanks again @ninjembro !

 

Day 6: Foil-wrapped beer with loads of vanilla coming straight from the pour.



Shape of the bottle isn’t helping me but it’s definitely boozy & vanilla-y.



Reveal is Cellarmaker Vanilla Latte Bourbon Vastness. Really good - boozy, thick, full of chocolate & vanilla. Great pick by @Bum4ever . Thanks Josh!

 

It's supposed to be your target who needs a plumber...

 

December 26th has an awesome extra from @andreizm and a really tasty sour from a brewery I have very little exposure for to.

Excellent barrel aged RIS

Today’s beer. This was definitely grape assuming from Holy Mountain. Not very sour, dry, oaky, bangin.

 

This posting on my phone shit! @andreizm laying me proper with this Seattle love. #L4L

 

Day 6 from @Bum4ever

Black cap, 22oz stout. Great carbonation that sticks around forever. Tons of cinnamon and dark bakers chocolate. Initially I thought I tasted some pepper, but as it warmed, it was just cinnamon. I had a few Weldwerks bottles on my wishlist.... and Bama would be the only one without wax.

Thanks so much Josh. This was fantastic. For those counting at home, that’s 4 wishlist bottles in 4 days.

 

Day 3 from @dannyfayy continues my trip across the US of A with a bottle with a Modern Times cap. I got coffee in the nose and very faintly in the taste. Definitely a couple of other adjuncts in this pastry stout, but not quite sure what all is in this one.


The reveal: Modern Times Coffee Cake. This was very delicious and can’t wait to see where my beer travels go to next on Day 4.



Thanks Danny!

 

Had a feeling that these two beers were going to be Modern Times based on location. The first was a brownie stout that was amazing! Very heavy, but smooth and soft at the same time.

The second was a little thinner, but heavier on the Alcohol taste. Vanilla was mild when cold, but came through on the second glass. Thanks @Sassyshe888

 

SARA Deep Time! SARA saisons are some of my favorites of all time - rivals HF on everything they do! Thanks so much @mervmurry!


My evening bourbon sample was yet another fantastic sipper. This had elements that made me initially think 4R.


Samsonite! I was way off! Old Fitz BiB 6yr! Merv continues with the hits here, putting a fantastic cap on the end of my first 3 days. I can’t wait to get back at it on Wednesday! Cheers, @mervmurry!!

 

Day 6 brings me back to @oline73


A light refreshing wild ale. Pretty light tasting with tons of peaches. A little tartness/acid shows up on the end, but really easy drinker. Based on cap and bottle I was thinking this may have been smooth from side project, but it's not that acidic and maybe a little too light. Maybe some sort of 2nd use side project peach if that is a thing.

The reveal:

Lilliputian from freak folk bier. Wine barrel aged peach table beer.

New brewery tick. Haven't heard of these guys but this was tasty. Thanks Stephen.