2024 Winter Advent Calendar

For reference, here are the beers we shared in 2024.

1 – Corey Shoemaker – American Brown

A nice hop forward american brown ale with little mellow malt body.

2 – Dave Frombach  – “B’Town Brown”

It’s an American Brown Ale at 6.6% alc./vol.  Features small amounts of 6 different specialty grains, along with Cascade and Willamette hops (including a very small Cascade dry hop). It earned a bronze medal at this years Lights Out competition and actually scored much higher at the Oregon Fall Classic competition but did not medal. Cheers!!!!!

3 – Alan Moum 1 – Warmer Winter Ale

Brewed with Sichuan “peppercorns”, ground red/white/black peppercorns, chili powder and smoked paprika.  Two of the bottles have a pickled Thai pepper in them and will be warmer.  9%abv estimated (hydrometer disappeared before brew day).  Sample bottle foamed over, chill well and/or open carefully.

4 – Enid 1 – Dunkelbock

Malt: Pilsner, Munich II, Special B, Carafoam

Hops: Willamette

Yeast: L-28 Urquel

ABV: 7%

5 – Glenn 1 – Whipped Cream Stout 6.2% ABV

A little too highly carbonated (possibly), but a solid flavorful stout.

6 – Lou Strowger – Weizenbock 6.8% (original intent)

Pitched two Imperial Stephon packs which went crazy after about 6 hours.  Was going for a banana bread, medium bodied bock. Aside from lousy mash efficiency, it stalled at 1.017 for about a week and the samples were too sweet so a tiny bit of amylase enzyme was added (.5 tsp) and it dropped to 1.010 four days later.  Lower than intended causing it to finish thinner than I wanted.  Question for the tasters is would this be better as a Dunkel Weiss given the lack of body although a bit high in abv for that style (future comp considerations).  Would love to hear your inputs. PROBST!

7 – Empty Slot Filler –  Silvercity Dark Lager

8 – Nicole Rodman – Burning Tsar Imperial Stout 8.4% abv

Oly Brew original recipe.  Used 17lbs of 2 Row as the base, and 1/2lb barley, Black Patent, and Crystal 120L.  Mostly Magnum and Willamette hops, fermented with Imperial A10 darkness yeast.  O.G. of 1.084 and finished on 1.020.  8.4%abv

9 – Tim Putaansuu 1 – Christmas in a Bottle 8.3% ABV

Red Caps (In Elysian Pumpkin case and 6 packs).

Recipe from BYO Magazine.

Based on a strong Old English Ale recipe with spices

added. In particular, for a 5 gallon batch:

1 Tsp Cinnamon

0.5 Tsp Ginger

0.25 Tsp Nutmeg

0.25 Tsp Allspice

Similar to pumpkin spice except that pumpkin spice

would use Clove instead of Allspice and reduce the

Cinnamon to 0.5 Tsp Cinnamon.

10 – Ryan Hess 2 – Belgian Golden Strong

11.8% 31 IBUs (hopped with Galena and Styrian Golding). Let this one warm up to 50-55F to get the full flavor effect…floral bouquet, spicy, and color is between a Golden and a Dark Belgian.

11 – Alan Moum 2 – Smoky Teas Ale

Mixed with a gallon of tea at bottling, a combo of strong brewed Gunpowder green tea and Lapsang Souchong.  6.5%abv estimated (hydrometer disappeared before brew day).

12 – Alan Moum Commercial Filler – Harvey’s LeCoq Imperial Extra Double Stout. 9%abv.

It’s quite a mouthful, in more ways than one.  It’s also one of those love/hate beers.  Its texture is silky and oleaginous, with very light carbonation.  The aroma is loads of deep dark notes of high cacao chocolate, burnt toast, Brett or lactic laced, with sweaty suede or baseball mitt.  The same notes come out in the mouth, along with some dark dry fruit notes (figs, raisins), bitter and salty licorice, dark caramel, and woods (think nutshells).  This isn’t a complexly sweet I.S. like we know from the craft brew world.  It is representative of the old style huge stouts made for the Russian imperial court, including the tart notes expected to balance out the sweetness back then. 

13 – Scruffy – “The creamery” 4.1% ABV 25 IBUs

A sweet beer with a slightly roasty flavor of coffee, chocolate, and toffee. Low carbonation. High sweetness.

14 – Oggie1 – Witbier, 6.9 ABV

Brewed with candied ginger, orange and lemon peels. OG 1.062-FG 1.0, 19 IBU

15 – Jeff Walker – Fat Scotch Ale clone 8.5%

Based off of Bill’s original Smoked Scotch Ale recipe.  mostly 2-row with Pale Wheat, Munich type 2, Crystal, Caramunich, and a dash of Peated malt.  Hops are Northern Brewer and Saaz.  Wyeast 1728 yeast. O.G of 1.073 and F.G of 1.008.  Bottle conditioned so it’s a little light on carb.

16 – Enid 2 – Belgian Root Beer

Malt: 2-row, C-40, C-80, RoastBar 350, Munich II, Special B 120

Hops: Willamette

Yeast: Tripel Double

ABV: 7.4%

Also contains: some sasparilla and some root beer flavoring

17 – Ryan Hess 1 – Tripel 9.7%

31 IBUs (hopped with Gelena and Saaz). FG was 1.008 but and to me the finish has a slight Brettanomyces nose to it.

18 – Tyler Schuldt – Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout 7% ABV

I used Steve Ferguson’s tropical stout as a base with some modifications.  

Spice from cinnamon and two kinds of peppers.

1 Lb of Ghirardelli Cocoa Powder. 

This sat for an extra month before bottling. I added additional cinnamon and pepper tincture at bottling. 

Bottle conditioned.

19 – Glenn 2 – Have a Nice Tripel, bottle conditioned, 7.6% ABV

This time the fruity esters come forth.

20 – Ryan Davies – American Wild with Raspberries. 

From yeast captured from my raspberries. First time I’m 4 years brewing this, but the yeast was nice and healthy after a long slumber in the beer fridge. 

I cut the fermentation short while it was on raspberries to make sure it was bottled and carbonated on time, so it probably should be an early beer in case of gushers

21 – Oggie 2 –  Mephistopheles, Rich, bold, sweet and strong. 

A clone of Avery Brewing, 16.4% ABV.  Has taken 4 years in keg to reach this state. OG 1.135-FG 1.016, IBU off the chart calculation of 96 but hidden in the boldness.  Try it with another brew in hand or a beer-tail.

22 – Gary Peterson – Little Elves Little Hops Holiday Porter

A Porter with hints of chocolate, coffee and bourbon allowing Elves to get what they want in one beverage.

23 – Tim Putaansuu 2 – La Fin Du Monde recipe from Olympic Brewing. 9.8% ABV

Originally intended to brew a Saison, but there

was no Saison yeast in the store. This was the

closest thing that satisfied my Belgian desire that

we had the ingredients for. Not exactly the light

summer drink I’d originally intended, but it seems

to be a good example of a Tripel.

24 –  Empty Slot Filler –  Silvercity Old Scrooge