The Week in Beer: Have Yourself a Beery Little Christmas

It's a merry Christmas with a Noel de Calabaza at Jolly Pumpkin.

As 2010 draws to a close, your correspondent would first like to thank my many loyal readers, including all those who frequently come up to me at various events and say how much they enjoy reading my columns. It’s great to know you’re all out there. I’d also like to thank the good folks at AnnArbor.com for giving me such a cool platform for spreading the word about the truly excellent beers being produced right in our own backyard and, in a larger sense, all across this great big mitten we call home. Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who makes, distributes, and/or serves all of these fantastic malt concoctions for a thirsty public. We love what you do! And to everyone out there: Have a very Merry Christmas, and enjoy the last full Week in Beer of 2010. Ho ho ho!

Thursday, Dec. 23
» The Last-Minute Holiday Sale is going on all day at Arbor Brewing, 114 E. Washington. You can pick up gift cards, gift sets, and marked-down apparel, glassware, and even Mug Club memberships for the beer lovers in your life, or for yourself, if that’s how you roll, O selfish one.

» The Christmas edition of Beer and a Movie takes place at Original Gravity, 440 County St., Milan. A screening of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" begins at 8:30pm, and if you wear your favorite ugly holiday sweater, you could win an OG $50 gift card. No cover.

Friday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve
» The Wolverine State Brewing Co. will be open from 12-4 p.m., selling lifetime Mug Club memberships for $40 and offering half-off on all growler fills. The latter is an important and noble gesture since by gummint edict you won’t be able to buy any beer after 9 p.m. and through Christmas Day, meaning you’ll have to plan ahead a little to survive all that time with the family.

Notes on the Napkin

• Still unsure about what to get your favorite beer lover for Christmas? You can browse specialty sites like beergifts.com or beeronthewall.com for ideas ranging from Beer of the Month Club memberships to beer gift baskets to home brewing kits. Of course, it’s a little late in the game to have any of this shipped in time for the big day, but you can offer a belated gift or make a nice little “coming soon” card to put under the tree. Beer drinkers are pretty laid back like that, you know.
• Looking ahead to 2011, three Grizzly Peak branded bottled beers will begin appearing on shelves, according to Northern United Vice President of Sales Mike Turriff. They are Hellion Double IPA, Berserker Heavy Duty Ale, and Humungous Imperial Red Ale. These are all high-gravity brews, ranging from 8.5% to 10% ABV, so they’ll be available only in four-packs. At some point or other, pilot batches of each have appeared at the Jolly Pumpkin Café, so some folks may already have tried early versions. No official release date has been set as of now.
• Belgium is home to some of the world’s most interesting beer styles and brewing traditions. Accordingly, Jeff More, owner of Ashley's, and his brother, Roy, as a result of their recent trip to Belgium, have announced their first-ever Belgian Beer Festival, to take place February 16-20 at Ashley's Westland, 7525 Wayne Rd. More than 100 Belgian beers will be available, including dubbels, tripels, Trappists, gueuzes, lambics, and more. Search for “Ashley’s Belgian Beer Week” on Facebook or visit abbf.ashleys.com for details as they become available.