TIP OF THE DAY: The 24 Beers Of Christmas
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Off to a good start: the beer advent calendar (photo © Kalea GmbH). |
Brewers of America: You have been bested by Austria’s Kalea Brewery.
Maybe your beer is better, but where’s your craft beer Advent calendar? The clever folks at Kalea, in Strasbourg, have one. Or at least, they’ve packaged 24 items in a box for the 24 days of advent. The lucky recipient enjoys 10 Austrian beers, 10 international beers and four beer accessories. This calendar is perfect as a party gift, early Christmas gift or corporate gift with a company logo printed on the box. We can’t imagine a beer drinker who wouldn’t be tickled gold and amber by this gift. If you want to create your own beer Advent calendar, start now to gather your 24 different beers: The calendar commences on December 1st. Use this as an opportunity to try 24 beers that you haven’t had before. |
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The one thing Kalea did not do was create a classic Advent calendar with windows that open for the “reveal” of the day (details below). Yes, it is possible to create an Advent calendar that does just that. Here’s how one clever fellow did it. Last month, 246,000 people asked the question of Google. Here’s the scoop: The Advent calendar dates to the beginning of the 19th century. A tradition begun by Lutherans in Germany, the first known Advent calendar dates to 1851. Its purpose: to count down the 24 days of December until Christmas. Most Advent calendars begin on December 1, regardless of when Advent is celebrated in any particular year (it’s the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas, which can range from November 27th to December 3rd). Advent, from the Latin word adventus, means “coming.” It’s a time of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, on Christmas Day. Some Advent calendars are strictly religious in nature; others are secular. Some involve affixing colored pictures to a piece of cardboard. Children’s versions have pieces of candy affixed to cardboard. Early versions were handmade. The first printed Advent calendar was published in 1908, and the now-familiar versions followed, with windows that opened out of the cardboard. Today, most Advent calendars are made for children: large and festive rectangles of printed cardboard with a different window to be opened on each of the 24 days. The windows reveal a holiday-themed image, inspiration, etc. The more elaborate versions have a small gift behind each window: a charm, a toy, a piece of candy. Thanks, but we’d rather have the beer. Pick your Advent calendar assortment from these different types of beer.
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