From the Bottle Collection: 1 Day Before Christmas Beer

One Bottle Collection beer for every day before Christmas. Rating system: not actually meant as a “tense” comment. All these beers either don’t exist anymore, or I tasted in the past. Hopefully, if not so hot before, they’re better now. If they do still exist. Or hopefully, if not better they’re as dead as the… Dickens.

Ghost of Christmas Present… remember him? Jolly, fun: the kind of guy you’d invite to a party for the season, and the kind of beer you could bring to a festive affair and not be totally laughed out of the room by festive beer geeks. That’s the best a beer gets in this series. Now Ghost of Christmas Past isn’t a great award. You can see from the picture he can be a bit of a grump. Probably from mediocre’ beer. And best not bring a Ghost of Christmas Past Beer to a beer geek festive affair. You’ll be the limp wet noodle of the party. A Ghost of Christmas Future beer? You remember that guy, right? If you want to be laughed at, have to bring most of your offering home and feel like you’ve just attended your own funeral instead of a party, bring a Ghost of Christmas Future beer. Some Ghost of Future Beer might best serve as embalming fluid.

Written by Ken Carman

Snowballs Chance

I have dreamed about this beer. OK, from what I remember: no spice. But certainly Santa would rather have this by his fireplace than cookies. A strong ale with plenty of dextrinous goodness and maybe a little carmelization to add complexity. I don’t remember the hopping being all that significant. I have read some claim it ruby brown, but I seem to remember more edging towards brown and a bit like some barleywines, in color only. Not a ton of alcohol by any means. Some claim it’s an English Brown. To me it edges more towards a Scottish 80, at least. Made by Wild Goose Brewery.

Bring this to your Christmas party and Tiny Tim will be begging to share. Don’t do it. Soon he’ll be walking and begging for more. And Bob Cratchit will have you tossed in jail for serving a minor. Of course, he’ll take all the beer. Think you’ll see it when you get out? Not a Snowballs Chance in Hell.

A Ghost of Christmas Present for this one.

Without intent, I have collected well over 1,000 beer bottles since the early 70s. When something finally had to be done about the cheap paneling in this old modular, I had a choice. Tear down the walls while, oh, so carefully, replacing the often rotted 1X3s. Or: cover them with… The Bottle Collection.