Luke Pernotto

I’m not going to lie. This time of year is my least favorite of the year. As days get shorter, temperatures drop, and the sun seems to be a long lost memory by 5 o’clock. I am forced out of the comfort of my shorts and sandals. These conditions drive people indoors and to isolate from others. The saving grace for this time of the year is the food and drink that emerges out of the cellar where it has been hiding/curing/aging all summer. Every morsel every drop is designed to multiply calories to get you fat and keep you alive for the long winter’s night. While I hate the idea of trying to survive frigid nights; the taste, smell, and texture of these foods make not feeling my fingers and toes bearable.

Once again I am imbibing my way through the twelve days of Christmas with high gravity high flavor beers. Unlike in years past these “holiday” beers were considerably more expensive than the macro-brewery selections. I steady my nerves at every checkout counter by telling myself this is only once a year. I reassure myself that these beers may be the extra calories that allow me to survive one more day until the days start to get longer. In home-brewing there was always a joke that we got into home-brewing to save money. This year may be the first time that saying is actually true.

Also in the past it seemed like every small brewery crafted a holiday beer. While I had the time before kids to travel to every brewery to see what they had exclusively at their tap room I am limited to find what I can by slipping a bottle or two in with the Costco or Trader Joe’s run. So while there are some Southern California breweries represented this year it’s mostly because they sold out to the man and went commercial. I will forgive them.

1st Day of Christmas, Christmas Day

Santa’s Little Helper, Imperial Stout, Pizza Port Brewing Company, Carlsbad, California

2nd Day of Christmas, December 26th

Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale, Samuel Smith’s Brewery, Yorkshire, England

3rd Day of Christmas, December 27th

Père Noël, Xceptional Xmas Beer, Brouwerij Brasserie, Dottignies, Belgium

4th Day of Christmas, December 28th

Lump of Coal, Dark Holiday Stout, English Ale, Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, Great Britain

5th Day of Christmas, December 29th

Shugga Original Recipe, Special Ale, Lagunitas Brewery, Petaluma, California

6th Day of Christmas, December 30th

Christmas Ale, Brewery St. Bernardus, Watou, Belgium

7th Day of Christmas, December 31st

Kirkland Signature Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, Vintage Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Bend Oregon

8th Day of Christmas, January 1st

Grande Réserve, Brewed at Scourmont Abbey and bottled by Biéres de Chimay, Baileux, Belgium

9th Day of Christmas, January 2nd

Delirium Nöel, Belgian Beer, Huygle Brewery, Melle/Ghent, Belgium

10th Day of Christmas, January 3rd

Trader Joe’s Belgian Vintage Ale 2025, Belgian Dark Strong Ale, Brewery Van Steenberge, Ertvelde, Belgium

11th Day of Christmas, January 4th

Blueberry Panic, Blueberry Mead with Orange Zest, Lost Cause Meadery, San Diego, California

12th Day of Christmas, January 5th

Noel De Abbey, Holiday Brown Ale, The Lost Abbey, Vista, California