NOTE: All beers sampled were complimentary as part of a media tasting. However, all opinions are based on my own experience.
It’s that time of the year again and if you’re still looking for the perfect holiday gift or you’re just a beer enthusiast, then this is for you. Earlier this month, Parallel 49 and Central City Brewers launched their collaboration of the advent-style beer calendar, called Seasons Greetings 24-Pack. Yes, if you’re tired of getting chocolate advent calendars, why not get one filled with 24 beers. In the pack, which goes for $72.99 at BC Liquor Stores and select private liquor stores, you’ll find seasonal favourites as well as some exclusive beers. Each brewery has pulled in 12 beers each for the pack.
At the media event, we were able to try some of the beers that are in the pack. The selection ranged from sours, stouts, scotch ales, porters, winter ales, IPAs and pale ales. For someone who enjoys lighter and fruitier beers, I was happy to find that the pack has many of those, but also a mix of some darker ales for others.
Below are some of the beers included in the pack which we were able to try. The other 12 are a mystery!
The first 6 we got a sneak preview for were from Parallel 49. Of these, I really enjoyed the Filthy Dirty Grapefruit IPA which is great for those who enjoy a fruitier beer. The Top O’ The Mornin’ Breakfast Stout was an interesting one as it tasted just like coffee! It’s made using coffee beans from 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters.
The other 6 were from Central City Brewers. They feature the brand Red Racer. In this pack, there’s some stronger beers with one up to 11.5% in alcohol content. The Red Racer Fly by Night Porter was an interesting one again because of the strong notes of coffee and chocolate. I usually don’t like dark beers but the coffee flavour really made it much more interesting. Again, they also feature some fruit beers like the Red Racer Kiwi Sour which was a favourite for K. Light and fruity.
Overall, this holiday gift pack definitely has a large variety of beers and imagine how fun it’ll be to reveal a new beer each day in December! Definitely the perfect gift for your beer loving friend.
Every Day is a Food Day 