December is right around the corner and for many people that means it will be time to start your advent calendar.
You could head to the grocery store and spend a few bucks on one that will provide you with a little piece of chocolate for 24 days, but there’s another option for beer lovers.
Craft beer advent calendars have become quite the hit in recent years, with many of the province’s larger breweries releasing them in November.
For this week’s beer column, I’m going to focus on Phillips Brewing’s version of the advent calendar, which is called the Space Case.
This is the fifth year the Victoria brewery has released the Space Case, which contains 12 limited-edition releases from the Phillips tasting room.
Yes, I said 12, which means you won’t be able to start this one on Dec. 1 and drink a beer every night until Christmas, but you could always solve that issue by buying two of them.
And if my past experience with the Space Case is any indication, because I’ve bought one every year, you’ll need to get your hands on one quickly and there's no way you'll be able to save those beers until December.
They’re that good.
Phillips says that the “out-of-this-world mystery beers” are handcrafted in top secret by their brewing team and that means there’s no way of knowing what’s inside until you’re opening it at home.
From my past experience, I can tell you that it’s typically a wide range of different beers, which makes it an even more fun way of trying certain types that you might not normally buy.
If you want to get your hands on a Space Case this year, be sure to head to a BC Liquor Store or your local private store sooner than later, because they always sell fast.
The cost is usually around $60, give or take, which may seem expensive, but it’s the same price as buying three four-packs of craft beer tall cans and this way you’re getting 12 unique and exclusive creations.
While the Space Case is my advent calendar of choice, there are plenty of great options out there from various BC breweries in this regard.
It’s also fun to create your own by teaming up with a couple of friends or family members.
Simply buy a few mix packs, split them up among the group and number each of the 24 beers to consume nightly throughout December.
Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.
