I tried the Brewdog Advent Calendar that's packed with surprise beers

04 November 2023 , 16:00

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The Brewdog Advent Calendar 2023

The season to be merry or, in the case of this advent calendar, very very merry is fast approaching.

Yes right now you're probably thinking about how you're going to get the tree out of the loft, you're slowly weighing up who you can leave off your present list, the threat of office parties and get-togethers are edging closer, you're wondering just when is it acceptable to put All I want for Christmas by Mariah on in your car and, yes, you're wondering if you'll receive an advent calendar.

If there's one sad fact about getting older at Christmas it's that you don't really get advent calendars as you advance in age, but why should the joy of popping open a door on a cold December morning have to stop just because you're a little older? Maybe it's because you're 36 years-old, have a full-time job with bills to pay and shouldn't be worrying about opening advent calendars or perhaps, depressingly, it's just that the magic a truly great advent calendar can bring has long since passed.

However, what if I told you that this advent calendar was packed full of beer? I mean, who wouldn't like an ice cold beer every night of the festive season? Well, I guess that depends how your mileage varies when it comes to whether you like Brewdog or not, who are the makers behind this pretty creative calendar for 2023.

Another one of the eye-catching beers you can get in the calendar

Upon receiving the calendar the first thing I noticed, as it was hard not to, was that this is a huge advent calendar, I mean it's massive, plus it weighs over 10kg, so it's really quite heavy and not entirely convenient for storage. Putting it simply, It's not one that you're going to easily put on your shelf and flick open a door with ease as December ticks by.

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On the calendar, Brewdog says: "A mix of stone-cold classics, new brews, collaborations and festive one-offs, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Try something new, revisit the old classics and feel like it’s Christmas morning every day of December." Now, I'm not sure I want to try one first thing in the morning, this isn't a small santa shaped Dairy Milk we're talking about here, but one in the evening after a long hard day at work reviewing beer based advent calendars? Why not?

So let's get past the elephant in the room. It's an advent calendar and part of the fun of those is not knowing what's behind each door, right? But if you want to blow the surprise, and find out just what beers you'll be getting in the Brewdog calendar, and for £49.50 I imagine a lot of people will want to know, then here's exactly what you'll find behind each window.

Some of my stand out beers from the calendar (Chris Burns)

Into the calendar itself, there's no doubt that there are some decent beers in here and, not to totally spoil the surprise, but I'm going to mention some of my favourites in it. I was particularly partial to Hazy Jane Peach, which has a very soft and not at all bitter taste and the Hazy Jane Pineapple, which has a similar vibe to it.

The Clockwork Tangerine is a bold citrus soaked treat and, as a Guinness lover, Black Heart is a solid little alternative to the real black gold. As for the others, the Grind Coffee Stout is certainly a hair-raising taste but it'll tick your boxes if you're into that kind of thing and while Neon Dream is a great little tropical wheat ale.

It's not all successful though, there were some beers I couldn't get into at all, Hoppy Xmas I'm looking at you, and some others really don't match the fruity joys of some of the IPA's and just taste a bit harsh. However, as well as the delightfully designed cans, there's is a nice little Brewdog festive themed glass behind one of the doors, I won't say which door but you can probably guess, which is a great little addition.

The idea of having a beer filled calendar is certainly a novelty and if you don't think about such things like storing it, keeping the beers cold and whether you've got it in you to have a beer every night, then this could be the ideal gift for the beer lover in your life or for yourself. Overall, I think It's a neat idea of being able to have a different and unique tasting beer every night, well up until the 24th, of December.

Spoilers ahead! Just some of the contents of the Brewdog calendar (Brewdog)

However it's worth mentioning that if you're not someone who drinks on a weeknight or maybe someone who just doesn't drink all that much in general it means you're going to have a lot of ale leftover come Christmas Day. So either you're set up for weekends to come or you're going to have yourself one hell of a New Years and welcome in 2024 with a raging headache.

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One thing is for sure that if Brewdog and their range of beers isn't to your taste then this might not be ideal for you. Now if you really do want a beer based calendar but Brewdog just isn't your thing then there are some good alternatives out there such as John Lewis who are currently selling this which also includes some beer friendly snacks, which is quite nice.

You can also get a Beavertown advent calendar but that is a little more pricey at £69, however it does have big doors on it that you can open which I really like. You can get the Brewdog Advent Calendar 2023 for £49.95 here.

Chris Burns