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Twelve Drummers Drumming. Fukizakura Heights Beer, Rauch
Traditionally the Yule log was burned through the Christmas season. It seems only fitting that we end with this holiday tradition. On the last day of Christmas the Yule log would be completely burnt and this season would come to an end. To mark this occasion we finish with a distinctly unique style of beer. …
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Eleven Pipers Piping. Sierra Nevada Brewing, Barrel Aged Narwal
Ken Grossman the founder of Sierra Nevada began his brewery in 1980. In a time where small breweries were few and far between Ken took an unique approach to build his brew house. Taking up-cycled dairy equipment he developed a pale ale beer that was much bitter than any of the light lagers that existed…
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Ten Lords a-Leaping, Cliff Beer, For Whom the Bell Tolls
If you have not heard of this brewery you have probably not been to the island of Okinawa, Japan. Cliff Beer began in 2019 and is run out of what is best described as a converted home in a densely residential neighborhood. To get to the brewery you have to travel down what appears to…
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Nine Ladies Dancing, Yamaguchi Craft Beer, Hagi Yuzu Ale
The Yamaguchi Beer Company was founded in 1997. Their claim of distinction from other breweries in Japan is their limestone filtered water and horizontal fermentation tanks. This is different from what you see in most breweries that use the more common vertical conical tanks. While these do take up more floor space in the brewery,…
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Eight Maids a-Milking. New Years Day, Lucky Tiger, Lucky Brew, Kizakura Co.
According to the lunar calendar, 2022 will ring in the year of the tiger. This is the fourth year that Lucky Brews have produced an ale that celebrates the lunar year. Previous Lucky Brews have been Lucky Cat, Dog and Chicken to commemorate the previous lunar years. Each year had a different style of beer…
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Seven Swans a-Swimming, New Years Eve, Hürlimann Brewery, Samichlaus
The old man figure on the bottle depicts Santa which gives the beer its name. It could however depict father time to ring out the old year. The depiction of an old man signifies the end of another year and is normally accompanied by a tiny baby to signify the new year. Samichlaus is brewed…
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Six Geese a-Laying. Lion Brewery, Lion Stout
The brewery that would eventually be known as Lion Brewery was started in 1849 and holds the distinction of being the oldest brewery in Sri Lanka. I was first introduced to this beer the last time I lived in Japan. My wife and I were searching for something different than the regular light lager of…
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Five Golden Rings. Orval
Orval began their long history in 1070 when monks arrived in the area. Over the years wars and political upheaval has caused the abbey to close several times. The modern version of the abbey began in 1926 when the de Harenne family gave the Cistercian Order the ruin buildings of Orval and the adjacent land…
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Four Calling Birds. Kizakura Brewery, Red Devil’s Beer
While the birds may be calling in the song there is another character who calls upon the children at Christmas. In addition to Santa visiting the little good boys and girls homes another character visits those that have been bad. Krampus is a demon-like character who in some cultures visits the homes of children who…
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Three French Hens, Helios Brewery, Conductor’s Porter
In 1985 Chris Van Allsburg wrote and illustrated the book The Polar Express. The book tells of a train that brought children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to visit Santa and possibly receive the first gift of Christmas. In honor of the train conductor, famously played by Tom Hanks, today’s Christmas beer is…
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Two Turtle Doves. Kwanzaa. Derilium Red
The second day of Christmas highlights that this is not the only holiday of the season. Traditionally Kwanzaa begins on the 27th and runs until the 1st of January. Kwanzaa’s founder Maulana Karenga created the holiday in 1966 and derived the name from a Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza.” This translates into “first fruits” which…
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A Partridge in a Pear Tree. Christmas Day. Stella Artois
Stella began its story in 1366 when the Den Hoorn brewery opened in Leuven, Belgium. Years later in 1936 the brewery released a Christmas Beer by the name of Stella Atrois. Stella being the Latin word for star, a reference to the Christmas star. If you happen to find a Stella Atrois glass to enjoy…
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The Twelve Beers of Christmas
Since 2011, when we lived near San Diego, my wife and I would get twelve Christmas Beers and celebrate the Twelve Beers of Christmas. In a place like Southern California it was not hard to find a dozen beers that were holiday related. Flash forward ten years and we have just arrived to Japan from…
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Luke Pernotto 