This year, for the first time I was able to pick up a Beervent Calendar thanks to the folks at Higher Gravity. Advent Calendars are popular ways to help count down the days until Christmas, and in recent years they’ve become very popular in the adult beverage space with calendars featuring whiskey and bourbon, wine, and German beer.
I wanted one that was sourced locally, and Higher Gravity is one of the best craft beer bottle shops and bars in the city. They sell a ton of these each year, with beer from Cincinnati, Ohio, and all over the country and world.
I found that this year’s calendar was a nice mix of styles and beers from different areas, and an added bonus is that the box featured exclusive beers from Cincinnati breweries West Side, Streetside, and Urban Artifact.
I definitely had some favorites from the box, although I could have done without the Smirnoff Ice. I typically try to determine my thoughts on a beer before I look up the rating and info on Untappd. Included below are my top ten favorite beers from the box. My personal ratings are in parenthesis.
10 – Lone Pine – Raspberry Sparkler – Fruited Sour
One of a good number of new-to-me breweries featured in the box, this fruited sour from Maine’s Lone Pine is nice and tart with a good bitter fruit flavor that’s not overpowering.
9 – Rothaus – Tannen Zapfle – German Pilsner
I’m a fan of a clean pilsner, and this one is as clean and crisp as they come. As the beer description notes, it’s the perfect balance between South German sweetness and North German clear bitterness.
8 – Urban Artifact – Epicurean Egg Nog – Spiced Ale (exclusive beer)
Leave it up to Urban Artifact to have by far the most unique beer in the box. An exclusive offering, this riff on Egg Nog by the Cincinnati brewery is both sweet and sour, with just a touch of lactose to get that milky consistency of the favorite holiday drink. Add in some cinnamon and nutmeg and this is a special treat.
7 – Einstok – Icelandic Toasted Porter – Baltic Porter
I’m a fan of this brewery out of Iceland. This beer is rich and smooth, with enough coffee bitterness to even out the flavor. Baltic porters are a style that I think should be more common – a roasty lagered dark beer that just hits all the right notes.
6 – Boulevard – Bourbon Barrel Quad – Belgian Quad
Boulevard is one of my favorite breweries, and the Kansas City crew has been putting out some amazing barrel-aged beers for a long time. This one is big and bold at 11.2% with a great hit of the barrel. I got a slight note of the added cherries, and plenty of vanilla.
5 – Wild Mind – Rented Luxury – NEIPA
This was one of two beers in the box by Minnesota breweries, with an offering from Surly on day 2. My first beer from Wild Mind, I liked this smooth New England style IPA brewed with some of my favorite hops: Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Strata. It has a very soft mouthfeel with notes of fruit like apricot and just enough dankness to remind you that it’s an IPA.
4 – Wolf’s Ridge – Sustinator – Doppelbock
I probably have this beer higher than most, but that’s because I love doppelbocks and I think we should drink them throughout the colder months and not just at the turn of spring. This one has a nice dark bread and malty body with just a touch of sweetness. A perfect beer for winter.
3 – Roak – French Toast Devil Dog – Oatmeal Stout
This was my first beer from Michigan’s Roak Brewing, but it won’t be my last. I actually tried this beer on Episode 31 of Beers and Beards, and I was blown away. It’s sweet without being too overpowering, with a nice syrupy overtone and a malty oatmeal stout backbone.
2 – Streetside – Return of the Mac (HG Edition) – Blonde Ale (exclusive beer)
Stretside consistently puts out all manner of great beers, but one of their best is Return of the Mac. This special edition made specifically for Higher Gravity was conditioned on chocolate and walnuts, and featured the addition of coffee and vanilla as well. It was the perfect sipper for a cold December night.
1 – Columbus Brewing – Creeper – Imperial IPA
Columbus Brewing is well-known for their IPAs, but this one may be one of my favorites. A 2014 gold medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival, this imperial IPA is everything I want in a big hoppy beer: smooth but bold, with a nice bitter trio of mosaic, citra, and Idaho 7 hops.
Full list of beers (premium box)
Day 01 – West Side – Blackberry Farmhouse Ale (exclusive beer)
Day 02 – Surly – Coffee Bender – Brown Ale
Day 03 – Brasserie d’Achouffe – N’Ice Chouffe – Winter Ale
Day 04 – Hubbard’s Cave – Fresh IIPA V49 – Imperial IPA
Day 05 – Smirnoff Ice – Flavored Malt Beverage
Day 06 – Roak – French Toast Devil Dog – Oatmeal Stout
Day 07 – Wild Mind – Rented Luxury – NEIPA
Day 08 – Wolf’s Ridge – Sustinator – Doppelbock
Day 09 – Maumee Bay – Blitzen – Winter Warmer
Day 10 – Lone Pine – Raspberry Sparkler – Fruited Sour
Day 11 – Maine Beer Co – Peeper – Pale Ale
Day 12 – Einstok – Icelandic Toasted Porter – Baltic Porter
Day 13 – B. Nektar – New Wave Lemonade – Mead
Day 14 – New Holland – Golden Sails – Lager
Day 15 – Columbus Brewing – Creeper – Imperial IPA
Day 16 – Listermann – Smoked Porter
Day 17 – Streetside – Return of the Mac (HG Edition) – Blonde Ale (exclusive beer)
Day 18 – Boulevard – Bourbon Barrel Quad – Belgian Quad
Day 19 – Troeg’s – Mad Elf – Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Day 20 – Platform – Deliciously Magical – Fruited Sour
Day 21 – Rothaus – Tannen Zapfle – German Pilsner
Day 22 – Bell’s – Bright White – Wheat Ale
Day 23 – 18th Street – Lake Street Express – Session Pale Ale
Day 24 – Urban Artifact – Epicurean Egg Nog – Spiced Ale (exclusive beer)
Day 25 – R. Shea – 2020: A Candy Cane Milk Stout