Beer style of the week; The Twelve Beers of Christmas, (but Great any time of the year)

Christmas (1^st Day of Christmas)

For the past 3 weeks we have merrily ventured through the kingdoms of Christmas Ales and enchanted Winter Warmer wonderlands. For the next 12 days we bring you a sampling of diverse beers from around the world that are purely divine by nature. These are the splendid spirit-lifting brews to enjoy with family and friends as we celebrate this special time of year.

Some of these delightful beers are found in weeks past and in week’s future, others will be making a cameo appearance because of their special connection to the season.

Day 1

Sinebrychoff Porter – Oy Sinebrychoff Ab – Kerava, Finland – 7.2% ABV

From the land of Santa Claus, it’s the granddaddy of all Baltic Porters. This is truly an original!

This is a prime example of a beer crafted with care, attention to detail and love. The color is like strong, dark coffee. Lovely aromas of chocolate malt, smoke, coffee and dark rum vie for attention. The full and rich body envelopes flavors of coffee, rye, dark chocolate and a bit of licorice. An abundance of sharp-edged fresh hops, citrus bitterness and hint of spices provide a lively bite. It's slightly smoky with an essence of pine in the background. This powerfully flavored brew has a bit of an alcohol kick, yet it remains very drinkable.

This "vintage" Baltic Porter ages very well, when cellaring at around 55°F. The flavors and aromas change ever-so-gradually. You can expect this brew to last 6 to 7 years.

I highly recommend this wonderful example of the Baltic Porter style!

Kiipis! (Cheers!)

Hyvää Joulua! (Merry Christmas!)

Factoid: The Kalevala, the national epic of Finland manages to describe the creation of the world in 200 verses, but requires 400 verses to explain the creation of beer.