{"id":7369,"date":"2017-12-08T14:36:05","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T20:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/?p=7369"},"modified":"2017-12-18T16:52:27","modified_gmt":"2017-12-18T22:52:27","slug":"warming-up-for-the-12-beers-of-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/lifestyle\/7369\/warming-up-for-the-12-beers-of-christmas","title":{"rendered":"Warming Up for the 12 Beers of Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

I haven’t started my Christmas shopping yet, but I am well on the way into my Christmas\/Holiday\/Winter beer acquisitions. I have just about enough new brews to get the sixth edition of The 12 Beers of Christmas<\/strong> underway, with a little wiggle room in case something unexpected shows up.<\/p>\n

The expected beers–the ones I drink every year–started showing up last month: Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale in the\u00a0Brattleboro Food Co-op, and Deschutes Jubelale in the mailbox. (Luckily, since it still isn’t distributed in Vermont–my annual complaint.)<\/p>\n\"C<\/a>\n

The Anchor Christmas Ale finally\u00a0arrived at the Co-op, too, so I’m just waiting for the right moment to strike and, with any luck, will roll on for 12 straight days. It’s not a great tragedy if I skip a day, of course, but we all need a goal.<\/p>\n

Once I wipe the foam off my mustache from this year’s imbibing I’ll have sampled 72 beers over the years, a fate I would wish on anyone. (Here’s a list of the 60 beers tasted through 2016<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

With its annual recipe-changing Anchor is the only constant each year; since their recipes are\u00a0stable\u00a0I don’t include Jubelale or Celebration Ale. I reviewed the\u00a0Celebration Ale<\/a> back in 2011, a year before I revved up The 12 Beers of Christmas. My admiration for it remains undiminished, and its importance in the history of craft brewing should never be cast aside.<\/p>\n

Sierra Nevada had a little fun this year when it sent three of its brewers, along with a film crew, into the Yakima, Washington hop yards in search of Cascade, Chinook and Centennial hops, the usual suspects for Celebration Ale. Music quiz immediately following:<\/p>\n