ADVENT BEER CALENDAR • THE LAST 12

The last twelve beers of the 2019 Kalea Advent Beer Calendar.

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I'm really enjoying my Advent beer calendar. It's allowed me to try beers I normally wouldn't otherwise (mostly German lagers) and even allowed me to discover a new favorite style (rauchbier). Here are the first twelve beers, ranked from my favorite to least favorite on a scale of one (no thanks) to five stars (excellent), along with brief tasting notes.

1. Zwönitzer Rauchbier. Smoked and cured meat. Campfire. Roasted malts. Dark chocolate. Cream. Bark. Sweet then long drying and smoky finish. Excellent. (Day fourteen.) *****
2. Loncium Vienna Style Lager. Caramel. Cranberries. Crackers. Carbonation. Citrus. Complex. Solid body. Light nuttiness. Excellent. (Day nineteen). *****
3. Turbo Prop Imperial Pilsner. Fruity. Buttery bread. Caramel. Blood orange. Hint of pretzel. Nice balance of sweet and dry. Intriguing. Excellent. (Day twenty.) *****
4. Kartäuser Doppelbock Dunkel. Fruit. Broth. Brown sugar. Booze. A bit like fruitcake in a pint glass. Some bitterness. Excellent. (Day twenty-four.) *****
5. Herrnbräu Jubiläums-Sud. Molasses. Bark. Dark bread. Hint of pepper. Earthy. Roasted malts. Excellent. (Day thirteen.) ****½
6. Schloßbräu Rheder Original Pils. Wheat. Grains. Biscuit. Hint of lemony citrus. Clean. Mostly dry. Very good. (Day twenty-two.) ****
7. Wittmann Urhell. Clean. Hay. Light lemon. Grass. Lightly floral. Hint of spices. Very good. (Day twenty-three.) ****
8. Edel Bayer Urtyp Hell. Lemon. Biscuit. Light saltiness. Clean. Grass. Light sage. Very good. (Day fifteen.) ***½
9. Hallertauer Hopfen-Cuvée. Fruity. Berries. Grass. Flowery, almost perfumy. Apple juice. Hint of grains. Drying finish. Very good. (Day sixteen.) ***½
10. Schwarzetinte Collab Stout. Roasted malts. Light coffee. Chocolate. Bark. Body a bit lighter than I expected. Nothing wrong with it; it just has a lot of competition. Okay. (Day seventeen.) ***
11. Kurpfalz Bräu Helles. Grains. Grass. Spices. Yeast. The slightest metallic edge. Okay. (Day eighteen.) ***
12. Bären Weisse. Agressive banana. Cloves. Metal metal metal. Off-kilter and unbalanced. Halfway through = drain pour! Bleh. (Day twenty-one.) *½