OK, I know we’re getting a little post heavy on the Santa and the Christmas and the ho ho ho, but deal with it–it’s Christmas time for God’s sake. You know, the time to celebrate America’s love for overabundance and electricity and lights and trees in houses and presents and good freakin’ beer. Oh, and Jesus being born. That’s probably involved somehow, too.
Anyway, despite some of the stranger posts we’ve had lately, today’s article from Joe Sixpack (how I wish this was a real name) explores the historical connection between Santa, a/k/a St. Nicholas, f/k/a The Big Guy in Red and beer. Not just by the beers Santa has named after him, but historically. And Santa’s had quite a journey.
In fact, from the very beginning, Santa Claus was a man of drink.
His alter ego is Nicholas of Myra, a fourth-century Turkish do-gooder who was venerated as St. Nicholas, the ancient patron of assorted riffraff, including prostitutes, lawyers and, yes, brewers.
St. Nick eventually morphed into Santa Claus, the fat, jolly, pipe-smoking elf popularized by Clement Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Shortly after Thomas Nast illustrated Santa’s image for Harpers Weekly in 1863, advertisers began using him to shill everything, from shoes to cigars to, yes, suds.
In 1900, one magazine advertisement proclaimed, “Wherever children look for Santa Claus, Schlitz beer is known as the standard.” Around the same time, Consumers Brewing assured drinkers in newspaper ads that, while “Santa Claus himself is reluctant to give away our beer . . . we have plenty to go ’round.”
And so it went, from the Clydesdales pulling a sleigh full of Budweiser to Spuds Mackenzie dressed in a red Santa suit.
The article also goes on to describe some of the troubles Santa’s had with his image connected to beer during prohibition, and whether certain groups think it’s responsible for a man so loved by young children to be a borderline beer snob.
Joe also talks about trying to get a hold of real Santa and asking him what he’d drink this time of year. I think Santa’s answer is a good one.
“Like we say at the North Pole,” he replied when I asked his favorite. “I’m making a list.”
Check out the article here. It really is a great read and the historical connections between the Big Red Guy and beer are rather strong. Happy drinking, Santa.
(Via Philly.com)
Brouwerij De Ranke in Wevelgem, Belgium
As far as Christmas beers go, this one is a winner! It is not your typical sweet boozy Christmas beer like a barleywine; however, it is completely delightful. It would be great as an apertif before dinner, or just sitting around with a few people getting the night started. Regardless, the Père Noël is a great way to celebrate Christmas and my hat is off to the Brewery De Ranke and all the others in Belgium who are brewing such great Christmas ales.
The smell made the hints of a barley wine even more pronounced, with a slight fruity smell, maybe apple, showing through. When we went in for the taste, the sweet scent trickled lightly into a softer and more pillowy hop-sweetness. The subtle apple flavor was hanging around again but only for a brief time. The X-Mas Zinnebir had some alcoholic weight to it, but nothing more than you’d expect out of a standard Belgian-style ale. I was surprised to find some much hop flavor and subtle sweetness out of a beer that felt so thin. The purity and crispness of the hops was also something worth mentioning, almost in the same realm as something from 
For the fifth day of Christmas, we check out what our neighbors up north have going on for the winter brew season: the 
After the first Canadian beer to be reviewed by the BarBEERians, I am very excited for some more. The Solstice D’hiver was a tastefully done barleywine. Despite the high score I give this beer, it is definitively a treat beer. At five dollars for a 12 oz. bottle, it is not affordable to buy a six pack for the evening. Luckily, you don’t have to, because it is strong enough and full of flavor, I would recommend buying a single bottle to sit and sip with a friend.
Yes, please, serve us a big–nay, a HUGE tulip glass and let us sit before a bonfire and have our way with a delicious vanilla and bourbon beer. Fantastic, we think. But then we read the label: Michelob. Now, we’d been hearing for awhile now that Michelob has branched out into the craft brewing market with a tasty pumpkin ale, and other beverages that we’ve actually heard some good things about. So what the hell–it’s Christmas and we want some warm, Christmasy beers, and we’re in the mood for some good cheer and ho ho ho etc. We decided to throw out our dislike for Anheuser-Busch and to give Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale a try.
Fighting through just a half glass of this clunker was hard enough. To stay in the Christmas mood, imagine shoving a plastic Christmas tree that has been smothered in artificial vanilla extract, and then forcefully and carelessly rammed down your throat. Trust me, this beer is maybe even worse than that.
I’m finding it harder and harder every year to come up with good gift items, not only for other people, but for myself especially. By the age of 23, I feel like I’ve received everything that is really appropriate as a Christmas gift, so my Christmas list the last few years has been pretty sparse. However, if you’re a beer lover, there are endless gadgets, supplies, and products to satisfy the appetite of even the most amateur beer snob.
“Ultimate Beer” by Michael Jackson; 
“How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time” by John Palmer; 
“Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer” by Marueen Ogle; 
Yesterday’s brew, the 
Sierra Nevada’s Celebration ale is definitely a beer worth celebrating (with). I can see myself picking up a few more of these to share with friends through the holiday season. Happy drinking, and don’t forget to tune in tomorrow for the third beer of Christmas!
An ad campaign in Canada for Labatt Blue is getting quite a bit of flack online today. The ads, which are showing up in convenience stores across Canada, feature a sign that says, “Leave one out for Santa. He’s driving.” However, the ads are for non-alcoholic Labatt, 
So, the reader wonders: “Can non-alcoholic beer, containing less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), be consumed while driving? Or is that considered an ‘open container’ violation?”
