Lectionary Fragment: Song of Solomon: 2:13 “the fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell.” The Sahti has a more distinctive aroma. Mob Craft stays alive, but still down 2 with 3 to go: 11-9-1.

Beer Advent Calendar 22: Costco: Original Pils, Scholßbräu Rheder, Privatbrauerei Egerer. 4.7% 5th from them. Nice hoppy pils. Mob Craft: Peanuttin’ Better than this Chocolate Porter 7%. Not a favorite style of mine, but this went easy on the peanut butter and wasn’t too sweet.

Lectionary Fragment: Luke 1:52 ( “He hath cast down the mighty from their thrones…” Since Schloßbräu is a castle brewery, the link of the Magnificat to thrones is much easier to make than the link to peanut butter. Costco has clinched the championship 12-9-1 with two days to go.

Remember, this contest is based on tenuous links between something about the beer or brewery and the Lectionary for Advent, not my preference of the beers. NB: “Clean” on previous reviews takes up fewer characters than “no off aromas/flavors, fully attenuated, no astringency.”

Advent Calendar 23: Costco: Fürst Carl Kellerbier, Fürst Carl Schloßbrauerei, Ellingen. 5.1% Solid kellerbier. Mob Craft: 2021 Existence, Belgian-style sour ale. 10%. Nice mix of funk and grape. Definite oak character from the barrels. Photo has an extra to celebrate the day!

Lectionary Fragments of the Day: Malachi 3:2 But who shall abide the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. Malachi 4:6 (called 3:24 in the USCCB Lectionary) Lest I come and strike the land with doom. ½

Today's scripture compels me to be contrarian. We have an unfiltered beer versus an oak-aged sour with Brett- and Lacto-. The 2021 Existence is much less purified and more likely to strike the land with doom at 10%. Mob Craft pulls to within 2 but only 1 to go. Cover the spread?

Beer Advent Calendar 24: Costco: Kartäuser Doppelbock, Egerer, Grossköllnbach (6h time). 7.5%. Good example, a bit of dark fruit. Mob Craft: Holiday Ale, Old Ale with spices aged in rum barrels, 10.7% The spices accented but didn’t overwhelm the base, lots of rum barrel.

Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1 “And it came to pass, when the king [David] sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies…” Both are fine beers for the comfort of home, but the Holiday Ale has more “last beer of the day” feel. Score Costco 12-11-1.

Compliments of the season to all!

So this is what a multi-tap looked like in Detroit in 1883. (Free Press 13 May 1883 p1) Liz Garibay Seipp Beer Blatz Buck

Presenting an interesting (new) beer history talk Monday night in a brewery that once was a WW2 armaments plant. The focus is on breweries of the Upper Midwest, but I'll include some historic background and stories from elsewhere. See you there! facebook.com/events/1157234…

⁦Bill Nietz⁩ While you’re in the old country I’m at your local.

In honor of the 4th, another great tradition that the current era didn't invent. Meat raffle, Voigt's Milwaukee Brewery of Detroit (yes…) Nov 1877. Or is the meat raffle just an Upper Midwest thing?

Bend, Oregon (and Redmond & Sisters). So many breweries, so little luggage space.

Pretty sure this is the only beer ad I've seen that specifically mentions Pentecost. (Detroit Free Press 22 May 1885)

Best selection of Marble beers in Minnesota. One of these will welcome Christmas tonight.