ADVENT SHEBEEN

Mahar’s offers a Christmas special each year that he refers to as the Advent Shebeen. What is a Shebeen? Wikipedia states, “Chiefly in Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Zimbabwe, a shebeen (Irish: sibín) is an illicit bar or club where excisable alcoholic beverages are sold without a license.” Mahar’s version consists of providing a different beer each day in December up to Christmas Eve. A list of the 2007 Advent Shebeen included:

Day 1: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence – A 22oz bottle to celebrate Ommegang’s 10th Anniversary. http://www.ommegang.com/index.php?mcat=1&scat=7&ssnl=1
Day 2: Brooklyn Winter Ale – A Scotch Ale that was seasoned with Christmas spices. http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/brooklyn-winter-ale-2006/67203/
Day 3: Samuel Smith Winter’s Welcome – The label this year showed a tall ship returning from sea. http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith_winter_welcome.html
Day 4: Bush Scaldis Ale – A sweet, Belgian ale that comes in at 12% ABV. http://www.br-dubuisson.com/An/produit_dub.htm#no
Day 5: Blue Point Winter Ale – A robust amber ale that was not overpowered with spices. http://thespiritworld.net/2005/12/30/12xmasbeers_bluepointwinter/
Day 6: De Dolle Stille Nacht – A beer made with candy sugar for a sweetness to offset the high alcohol. http://www.dedollebrouwers.be/en/stillenacht.htm
Day 7: Otter Creek Winter’s Tale – A Raspberry Brown Ale that was considered a special release. http://www.wolavers.com/home/otter_creek/brews/raspberry_brown.html
Day 8: Harvey Christmas Ale – A really nice barleywine that is provided each holiday season. http://www.harveys.org.uk/laybeerseasonaldraughtales.htm
Day 9: Long Trail Hibernator – A Scottish Ale that goes down real easy. http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/long-trail-hibernator/3048/
Day 10: Corsendonk Christmas Ale - One of the best, typically given at Mahar’s to kick-off the Advent. http://www.liquidsolutions.biz/main/
Day 11: Saranac Season’s Best – A nut brown lager. Nice, but not typically used in the Advent. http://www.saranac.com/beers/beerdescription.cfm?id=93EA31A4-E4EB-9F2E-331D7A5373B50CB5
Day 12: Gale Christmas Ale – A English Christmas ale that is a standard in the Shebeen. http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/producers/gales/christmas_ale/overview.php
Day 13: Smuttynose Winter Ale – A beer from my favorite brewery. NICE! http://www.smuttynose.com/pages/beers.html
Day 14: De Smedt Affligem Noel – A 22oz Belgian ale was probably the highlight of this year’s Advent. http://www.affligembeer.be/
Day 15: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout – We typically don’t get two from the same brewery. http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/beer/
Day 16: De Regenboog ‘t Smisje Kerst – I had the chance to try this one before. http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/producers/regenboog/tsmisje_kerst/overview.php
Day 17: Wild Goose Snow Goose – A fairly common Christmas beer from Maryland. http://www.wildgoosebrewery.com/beer.html
Day 18: Bink Winterkoninske – A Christmas beer from Belgium. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3313/7715
Day 19: Mendocino Winter Imperial IPA – Imperial implies intense hops and high alcohol. http://www.mendobrew.com/company/pr/pr_36.html
Day 20: De Ranke Pere Noel – Another Christmas beer from Belgium. http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/de-ranke-p%C3%A8re-no%C3%ABl/10310/
Day 21: Red Hook Winterhook – A winter ale from Portsmouth, NH. Santa gave me some at Christmas. http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/redhook-winterhook/668/
Day 22: Geary Winter Ale – A favorite of mine from Portland, ME. http://www.gearybrewing.com/pages/winter.php
Day 23: Duyck Jenlain De Noel – A 22oz French Ale that advertises the use of orange in the brew. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/309/17291
Day 24: Rockies Never Summer Ale – A beer aptly named for being from Colorado. http://www.boulderbeer.com/rbcbeerlg.htm

A decent line-up, but it was not the typical listing in terms of quality and selection. However, a gift was provided at the end that certainly put a smile on my face. These beers included:

Bonus Beer #1: Hook Norton Twelve Days – An English brown ale brewed for Christmas. http://www.hooknortonbrewery.co.uk/beers_home.html
Bonus Beer #2: Des Legendes Noel Des Geants - A new brewery for me, which is always exciting. http://www.brasseriedesgeants.com/index_uk.php
Bonus Beer #3: Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf – A brewery that is notorious for MANY Christmas beers. http://ratebeer.com/Beer/ridgeway-criminally-bad-elf/66619/
Bonus Beer #4: Nogne O Winter Ale – A new brewery from Norway with an excellent variety of beer. http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/beers/beerProfile.asp?BeerID=202
Bonus Beer #5: De La Senne X-mas Zinnebir - A nice beer, not too spicy and not too sweet. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16320/40001
Bonus Beer #6: De Proef Kerstmuske Christmas Nightcap – Nice title to end the shebeen with, a night cap. http://www.ratebeer.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=80307

The Advent Shebeen is an early Christmas gift to myself, and it’s the gift that keeps giving both before and after the Christmas season. Here’s a belated Merry Christmas who has taken the time to check in with me this past year. - 4490

"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?" - Stephen Wright