T(welve)-12

On the twelfth day of Beermas I went and got for me

Twelve skulls and bones

Eleven whales blowing

10 lords a-robbing?

Nine night owls hooting

Eight maids not for cleaning

Seven avian vampire teasers

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

It might be a little fanciful, but the last day seems like it ought to be warning us of our limited time.  Drumbeats and all that.  I might have liked a black beer, barrel aged maybe, for this last portentous day, but that label on the can just called out to me.  La Calavera's (of course) No Future.  It's a fruited gose, with cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and black currant added to it, so it sounds like a much brighter beer than the picture would suggest.  Just the kind of thing you take advantage of a challenge to try.

In spite of the heavy load of fruit, that sulfury old sour beer smell comes right out.  It's not very strong, but it does hang around the back of the nose.  Sniffing carefully, you get some of the other berries too, I'm thinking primarily cherry and raspberry, and it certainly has the look of a fruity drink.  Practically no head, and not very fizzy looking either.  Flavorwise it doesn't come on too strong.  There's a natural fruit sourness, leaning into the strawberry and currant, with a smoothing of light sweet on top.  It feels a little rough while drinking, but once swallowed it leaves little behind and seems like a smooth memory.

T(welve)-11

On the eleventh day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Eleven whales blowing

10 lords a-robbing?

Nine night owls hooting

Eight maids not for cleaning

Seven avian vampire teasers

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

I almost pushed this one into number seven, for the swimming animal on the label, but those neck-like tubes could not be denied.  So, what to do with Mala Gissona's Shackeltown IPA?  There's definitely a connection to the sea; they brew their beers with the fortitude and solemnity of the old Basque whalers, or something like that.  Well, at least some sailors like to have a little music, a little wind instrument accompaniment.  Also, whales do a bit of blowing themselves.  There we go, our representation of pipes!  Less literal than some other years, but that's the fun.

It's a stunningly dark IPA, maybe more in line with older varieties.  Very typical IPA aroma, though, bright, herbal, grabs the nose hard.  The taste is juicy and modern, a very fruity kind of ale, like a fruit cocktail.  There's that citrus of course, but also a little pineapple and mango.  Although the fruit feels like it should be sharp, the beer is very smooth and slides right down the throat.  It's actually very festive feeling, like a nice holiday punch.  The bright and shiny IPAness of it would also make it palatable to those summer people who prefer their beer sunny and cheerful instead of dark and blankety like my best stout buddies.

T(welve)-10

On the tenth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

10 lords a-robbing?

Nine night owls hooting

Eight maids not for cleaning

Seven avian vampire teasers

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Oh, the things I'm willing to do for the season!  Drink a Belgian beer?  Well, alright, it does have somebody lordly on the label, so it goes with the song.  I'm also tickled that it says "Robijnrood" on one side, which I misread repeatedly as "Robinhood".  Shows where my sympathies lie, I guess.  What it really is is a red ale, ruby red is the promise, from Brouwerij Haacht.  Charles Quint is no stranger to Belgian beers, but he also has his place in the Spanish beer world.

It does have some ruddiness to it in the glass, sort of a rusty brown color overall.  Very light beige head sits firmly on top.  It certainly smells Belgian, although not as sour or tangy as some.  For the most part the aroma is sweet, although there's just a touch of sour apple.  In the mouth it is plainly a Belgian beer, malty, slightly sour, a real mouthful.  It doesn't have an unpleasant aftertaste, and the flavor is balanced and well under control before the swallow.  It's not a bad sipping, talking beer, with enough body to make snacks welcome but unnecessary.

T(welve)-9

On the ninth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Nine night owls hooting

Eight maids not for cleaning

Seven avian vampire teasers

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Am I wasting a bird on dancing ladies?  Perhaps.  But damn if Night Owlers NEIPA didn't call out to me for that night out.  It's La Quince and Salama Brewing, another collab from the wise owl.  Can't think of one that hasn't turned out delicious.

Rather opaque, sort of lemonade cocktail look, very fleeting head.  It's not terribly fruity or spicy in aroma, with just a whiff of bitter hops and a tail end of bread.  The flavor is also subdued, but with a more typical NEIPA bent, that layer of sweet orange juice.  It doesn't quite get to bitter, although there is a less sugary part, more mealy or pithy.  Something in the aftertaste comes across as sharp, acidic, but it is also very temporary, like the head.

T(welve)-8

On the eighth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Eight maids not for cleaning

Seven avian vampire teasers

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

I complain about all those birds, but the other gifts aren't all that easy to match up either.  This year the maids a-milking was one of the harder ones, for some reason nothing stood out that was maidenly or milky.  Finally, there's a good stout that has a good picture on it.  It's a little more like a sexy maid than a milkmaid, although I don't think she's quite that either.  More like somebody who's going to be doing some milking of a slightly different kind.  Hopefully, in a nice warm room.  It's from Estonia, a brewery called Pühaste, so I think this Dekadents ought to be formulated for warm indoor spaces, no matter what's going on outside.

Pouring out, it's lighter than expected, although the dark brown color is pretty strong once the glass is full.  The aroma is a lot fuller than the coloring, sticky, syrupy, heavy chocolate and toast.  The first impression of the taste is similar, but quickly followed by a blast of licorice, wrapped up in a return of toasty, burny sensation.  It's a heavy, melted milkshake of a beer, extra thick.  It doesn't have excessive sweetness, with just that pop of mediciny licorice.  It's not hard to get down at all, although the full texture does not encourage chugging.

T(welve)-7

On the seventh day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Seven avian vampire teasers

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Half the days over and we are almost done with the birds.  This is the last one, those elegant white bastards.  There's no bird on the can really, but there is the impression of a swan neck winding its way across the front, reflecting the colors of a volcanic sunset.  Caravelle's Peachy Keen Wit also sounds artistic and sophisticated, ready for a flowing chat about things that matter in life.

This is a summery straw colored beer, very clear, especially in comparison with those hazies.  The very subtle aroma has more to do with sours and that gassiness than wheat beers and their grain and spice.  It also smells a little soapy.  The taste is light and clean, not sour or astringent.  It's a little fizzy and there's a hint of peach floating around, so it's a little more like flavored mineral water than straight beer.  Actually not too bad to finish off the night with, it's refreshing and thirst quenching, without weighing you down for the trip home.

T(welve)-6

On the sixth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

This was one of the bird suggestions, grabbing at straws a little bit.  It is a bird, for sure, not one that's in the song I think, but maybe I can make do...in fact, I'm sure I can make do.  Look at that face!  That bird has a plan.  We might even say he's hatching something.  A plan like an egg, right?  Right?  It's not that much of a stretch!  This might be the first can of Cosa Nostra I've picked up, although I remember them from the Vallecas beer fair.  Then it was a porter, and now it's a Double Hazy IPA, a little backwards some might think.  But, Brufol might have some tricks up its feathery sleeve.

Extra juicy looking, with very fine bubbled head, very much like a fresh-squeezed orange juice.  Similar aroma, maybe a little bit lighter.  The feel is also very juicy, thick and mouth-filling.  It feels like it wants to get to sweet, but can't quite make it out of bitter, although it isn't fair to call it a bitter beer either.  It's weighty and pleasant to drink, without disappearing into the ether, but there's no over-reliance on acidity or citrus, so it's really well balanced.  I'm hoping the plan was to make a perfectly drinkable hazy because that's what was achieved.

T(welve)-5

On the fifth day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

What do I get for number five this year, another golden ale?  Can I get away with any blond beer on color alone?  Actually, Península comes to the rescue with Entre Amigos and its friendly circles on the can.  Not only is it an invitation to potential drinkers, it's a collaboration beer, with Sparkle, only deepening the ties.  It's a hazy IPA, so a style that several friends of mine would be happy to share a can of.  Later I found out there were more than one iterations of Entre Amigos, with different partners.  Makes sense, and now I'm wondering if I can track more down...

For an IPA, it has a surprisingly ruddy color, even being a hazy.  Quite opaque too.  The aroma is perky and sharp, with a very modern feel to it.  The taste is no surprise based on that: a little spice, caraway, snappy, not very citrusy but there's some light summery fruit in there.  In the mouth it makes itself unignorable, but once swallowed it disappears cleanly, so really a very nice drink.  I might prefer it on a warmer day, on a sunny street, but then again I drink inside whenever I can.

T(welve)-4

On the fourth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Ok, this one is pretty close to the song, although the birds aren't seen actually calling.  And there are only two, but the other two are just out of frame I'm sure.  And they are birds!  Probably calling their friends a long way off, in that desolate landscape.  Gekko Brew's The Other End of Nowhere looks like it should be some dark beer, for a depressing sipping session, but it's a NEIPA, so at least visually it ought to be pretty cheerful.  Some of those NEIPAs are a little abrasive though, and so strong they might leave you in a place you have to memory of going to.  This one is a pretty standard 6.5%, so I don't think we'll go that far.  If by chance we do, I guess there will be some calling involved.

This is one of those very juicy looking NEIPAs, with its cheery gold color and light cap of lacy foam.  It has kind of a zesty aroma, orangey but with a little something extra.  Caraway or some other spice maybe.  The juice is echoed in the taste, although the beer is a slender and healthy feeling one, not an overwhelming mouthfeel, very light in body.  It kind of evokes the hopelessness of the label, a sensation of being in complete solitude without even a beer to weigh you down.

T(welve)-3

On the third day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Getting creative again!  Is it because I ran out of time and had to make do with what I grabbed off the shelves?  Is it a true challenge propelled from within?  Is it just the cussedness of refusing to not have a stout?  All three?  Let's say all three.  It's true, I really really wanted to fit Gran Cacao in somehow, just by virtue of it being an imperial stout with cacao nibs.  So instead of French hens imagine French Polynesia or the French Caribbean.  It's not quite the temperature up here right now, but there's an almost tropical humidity the past couple of days.  Weird, but could be worse.  I guess the people at centrally Spanish Península and Caleya also wanted to enjoy a warm weather fantasy.

It pours smooth and creamy, with almost a nitro like consistency in building the head, although with much bigger bubbles.  It looks delicious and doesn't smell like sunblock at all.  There is just a tantalizing whiff of cacao, but it's mostly a sturdy, earthy stout.  The cacao is present in the taste, but very...natural.  Meaning, it's not overly sweet or sticky, there's kind of an earthy sensation to it, like dusty nibs grabbed off the ground for the brew.  Also, it's impressive how smooth and slick the beer is for it's mouthfeel; it's a weighty one, and at almost 10% to boot.  It's a really pleasant stout, with a delightfully easy balance.  It might even be acceptable for the squeamish in the summer, with it's tropical hints, especially going along with a cold dessert.  And for me and those of my tastes, it's a beer for every day of the year.

T(welve)-2

On the second day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

I guess I'll have to be a little creative, since there are a damn lot of birds in this song and not that many beers with birds.  Surprisingly few, actually, it seems like something people might like to use.  Symbol of freedom, knowledge, power, why wouldn't you link it to a beer?  Especially in a country where beer has not been the drink of the average citizen until quite recently.  Anyway, I went looking in some less-frequented places, and I got this tentative suggestion.  Almost immediately taken back, since that's a moth, or something, on the can, but what the hell?  Things that fly count.  Also, taking the place of turtledoves, it makes sense to have all the eyes and be a monstrosity, because if there's something you like to look at it's your lover and if there's anything that makes a monster into a masterpiece it's love.  This is Rec Brew with Naked Lunch.

It's strongly aromatic, with a whole tropical fruit basket flowing out as soon as it's opened.  While cloudy, the color isn't very bright, sort of a muted lemonade.  The flavor is less tropical, but still strong, snappy, and a little bit acidic.  It has some elements of certain NEIPAs, being a little throat-grabby, but it isn't quite as strong as the DDH IPA set.  There's a depth that keeps it from being a simple warm-weather drink, something about the hint of abrasiveness I think.  It is light in the mouth, but you can comfortably drink it surrounded by wintery figures and gray streets and not feel like it's leaving you unprotected from your current weatherscape.  After a little while I start to get some woody notes, sort of pencil shaving-like, so a reference to a possible winter fireplace?  You put wood shavings in fireplaces, right?  Probably better that than moths.

T(welve)-1

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me

An icy raven looking needy

It's the first day and I have to decide between bird or fruit.  In some ways it's the easiest one to find something to represent it.  There's something about a wintery old raven that makes you think of some solitary place, the loneliest number if you will.  Even the name of this IPA, Hold Me Tighter, brings up feelings of isolation.  Somehow I thought Wylie had a more jovial and social image, but I'm not complaining.

Minor explosion on opening, the beer is eager to escape and better existence outside its can.  It's a very pale IPA, sort of lemony,  It's very heady, with a bright white and fluffy cloud perched on a sea of dirty lemonade.  Even the aroma evokes summery lemonade more than beer, with a lemon candy scent that just tickles the nose.  The taste comes as a bit of a shock, wielding a much more bitter punch than you expect.  It isn't actually that bitter, but from the aroma you don't quite prepare for it.  It's also pretty clean and even a little dry, leaning towards a wine sensation rather than juicy, sticky modern IPA.  Left standing a while, more spicy notes start to come out in the smell, but the flavor doesn't pick up much in the way of spice.  It's the sort of beer you wouldn't mind having with you on a break from doing work in your orchard.  Of pear trees, of course.  Where a crow or even a partridge could find a place.

days counted!

On the twelfth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Twelve days and more

Eleven pipes a-smoking

Ten horses leaping

Nine feet a-floating

Eight icicles dripping

Seven sea monsters swimming

Six owls nesting

Five malts of gold

Four avian hallucinations

Three French magicians

Two love ya dearlies

And the simplest answer there could be 

Winding down, we are, and I've been waiting for this beer a long time.  It's an aged beer too, so it's been waiting by itself even before it joined my little self-challenge.  At first I thought it would be a Saturday beer, but that name...Counting The Days.  It seemed like it should fit into the song, and in the end I stuck it in.  It's the end of the count, we count in rhythm like a drum, it works in its way. 

It has a thick-looking consistency, although not a lot of head.  It looks like there's a little mixing of something in the brew, leaving the color only dark brown and not black.  Other examples of this have been quite pleasant, so good start.  It's heavily aromatic, with a sweet alcohol scent.  The taste is muddled, changeable, a patchwork of shifting flavors: first comes the bitter stout, then a wash of bourbon; coffee and licorice prance in behind and lead the way for the barrel-aged woodiness.  I expected a much heavier beer after a while; these types do tend to get syrupy.  But really, although the alcohol makes it seem like it should be a mouthfiller, this is an exceptionally light feeling stout.  The strong flavor doesn't hang around too much, even if there's a tiny bit of burn in its wake.  This is definitely a celebratory beer, one to end a countdown with, or to toast a new beginning.

smoking pipes!

On the eleventh day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Eleven pipes a-smoking

Ten horses leaping

Nine feet a-floating

Eight icicles dripping

Seven sea monsters swimming

Six owls nesting

Five malts of gold

Four avian hallucinations

Three French magicians

Two love ya dearlies

And the simplest answer there could be

I was looking for some help on this one, since it was coming down to the wire to have all the beers ready to go.  If you ask for a Christmasy beer, people have a lot of suggestions for you, but when you try to associate a song the ideas kind of dry up.  I get it, it's not the way most people relate to their beers most of the time.  I was guided to several Belgian beers, a couple of spicy IPAs, and then this gem appeared before my eyes: Garage Beer's Balanced On The C, a Barcelona weisse.  It was the pipes, of course.  That's the connection.  Perfect!

It's one of those peachy looking fruit-flavored beers, with a little dry/sour aroma.  It tastes something like a cranberry wine, well, really more cranberry champagne.  It has a tartness of flavor and dryness of feel, and practically disappears without a trace after you swallow.  The ginger takes a little while to come out, but eventually a nice snap comes through.  It's a party punch kind of beer, much less reliant on the sour aspect than more traditional style Berliner weisses, with a slight heat of spice that warms it up for a holiday evening.

a-leaping!

On the tenth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Ten horses leaping

Nine feet a-floating

Eight icicles dripping

Seven sea monsters swimming

Six owls nesting

Five malts of gold

Four avian hallucinations

Three French magicians

Two love ya dearlies

And the simplest answer there could be 

It could have been more imaginative, but it certainly could have been less.  Although to be honest, I have not actually seen a perfect match for lords a-leaping on a beer bottle.  The horses are lordly by themselves, but I guess we can imagine some lords having a hunt.  It's an English beer too, Adnams, so definitely the sort you would imagine hunting and launching their fine steeds over walls and fences.  Tally-ho indeed.

Like a good barleywine, it's a rich dark brown with a sweet yet earthy scent.  There's some head, light colored, not awfully abundant.  It's not as syrupy as more local barleywines, although there's a hint of the barrel in it, with more of an apple juice/cider taste.  Fairly clean taste, not a lot of aftertaste, although there is just a hint of buildup.  There's even a little bit of banana lurking behind the apple in the aroma, and after a while there's some in the taste as well.  It starts out light, but as befitting a barleywine it seems to grow and gain in volume and weight.  It's a good balance of light and heavy, fruit, alcohol and wood playing together nicely.

loose feet!

On the ninth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Nine feet a-floating

Eight icicles dripping

Seven sea monsters swimming

Six owls nesting

Five malts of gold

Four avian hallucinations

Three French magicians

Two love ya dearlies

And the simplest answer there could be 

I guess disembodied feet aren't specific to ladies dancing, but who knows what bodies they came from?  Could be anybody!  At least I know Lacura will be a quality IPA; Garage Beer has been making its mark for a while now, and plenty of beer sellers are happy to recommend it. 

The can was well filled, almost overflowing a little when I open it.  It's always nice to see a beer eager to be drunk, like it knows you're going to enjoy it.  It has a little piney, spicy aroma, which makes sense with those West Coast hops.  The flavor is surprisingly fruity, though.  It fools you a little with some bitter to start, but a sweet orange quickly takes over, and the sip finishes with a tangy mandarin.  It settles down into a pleasing if typical IPA, happy and party-friendly.  

icicles dripping!

On the eighth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Eight icicles dripping

Seven sea monsters swimming

Six owls nesting

Five malts of gold

Four avian hallucinations

Three French magicians

Two love ya dearlies

And the simplest answer there could be 

I feel confident that I have been imaginative for day 8.  Yes, there's a probable maid on the label, but it's not a milk stout and the milking isn't obvious...but don't those icicles look a little like teats?  Just what you wanted to think about with your beer, I'm sure.

Eis Zäpfle comes from Rothaus-Bräu, and I am surprised to see it is made as a Märzen.  Most of the beers of that style that I've seen have been quite a bit darker in color, but the rules were made to be broken.  

Light, straw colored beer, very fluffy head, it's very German in its appearance.  It has a little bit grass and grain in the smell, but its not especially strong.  At first the flavor is very much a German lager, a little sweet and a hint of bitter, but then a wave of bitterness breaks over the tongue, followed quickly by a sort of appley sweetness.  It actually seems right for a wintery beer, having some stimulating, perhaps even medicinal bitterness and a little energy giving sweet.  It's supposed to be enjoyed "ice cold", and letting it warm up does give it a tangier flavor.  It's not an unpleasant change, though, perhaps a little less refreshing, but perky and energetic.

swimmers, surfers, an' stuff!

On the seventh day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Seven sea monsters swimming

Six owls nesting

Five malts of gold

Four avian hallucinations

Three French magicians

Two love ya dearlies

And the simplest answer there could be 

Again, we have to be a little bit creative.  There's a reference to water, so I feel like that's enough for swimming.  And while there are no birds, certain cities in Germany have a famous population of swans, and What Went Down is that famous German style, the kolsch.  Deya and Mikeller are the producers of this wild wet one.  It's a pretty light beer on the alcohol so probably safe enough if you feel like going swimming yourself afterwards.  I don't recommend messing with swans ever, though, stone cold sober or not. 

So very light-colored, and a fluffy cloud of head plopped on top like frosting.  I don't get much of an aroma from it at all.  It's a nice easy sort of IPA, a little bitter and a little bit of caraway, not much of the modern citrus.  It doesn't leave much behind, to be honest, it is one of the cleaner drinking beers that I've had recently.  It lives up to the kolsch name in that it's very light and refreshing, although I might go so far as to say it's not an especially good beer for cold weather.  On a summer day it would fit right in, with the light color, feel, and flavor, but now it doesn't do much to insulate the drinker.  That doesn't negate its niceness, but it is something to consider.  I personally would recommend waiting until, like, June for this beer.  It'll be a prize then, no doubt.

owls a-hooting!

On the sixth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Six owls nesting

Five malts of gold

Four avian hallucinations

Three French magicians

Two love ya dearlies

And the simplest answer there could be 

There's a little bit of a stretch here, since there are no geese or eggs evident in this beer.  It is a bird, though, and it has a nest.  It might be an owl, but you can't deny it's a bird.  Interestingly enough, it's a Japanese owl, Hitachino Nest, and this is a Japanese Classic Ale. 

A somewhat dark colored ale, ruddy gold I'd say, and not cloudy at all.  There's an abundant amount of head, white and bubbly.  It has an odd aroma, a little salty even.  I'm reminded of both champagne and gose.  The flavor is oddly seasonal; I was not expecting such a cinnamon like poof.  It's a little spicy and not sweet exactly, but makes overtures to dessert.  It's a pretty normal thickness for a beer, although the taste makes me feel like it should be heavier.  It really goes down quite easily.  Also, very clean.  I don't get any weird aftertaste or stickiness at all.  There might be a touch of apple hiding in there, another wink to the holidays and apple pies.   

gold!

On the fifth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Five malts of gold

Four avian hallucinations

Three French magicians

Two love ya dearlies

And the simplest answer there could be  

I admit, this is another lazy one, but sometimes you might as well take the things that just fit.  This is Gordon Finest Gold, a lager by John Martin Brewery.  It sounds like it should be a British beer, but it's actually made in Belgium.  So a little surprise after all.  I only wish instead of 10 it said 5 on the label, that would have fit absolutely perfectly.  I guess the other option would be drinking five.

Very normal looking beer, transparent, snow head, pretty standard beery smell.  It's actually quite lagery, with a lot of grain being most identifiable.  At first it tastes a lot like a normal beer, just calm bitter, but suddenly a sort of medicinal flavor bursts out, and the beer takes on a thick and round quality.  It feels much heavier than it looks, and the mild scent also didn't give any clues about its body.  It might be the Belgian influence that gives the beer some complexity and fruitiness.  It has that little tang at the end of the drink that so many Belgian styles possess.  It also packs quite a punch at 10%.  That might be like getting a fist of rings to the head if you're not careful.