I love Christmas and the fact that I can now have a chocolate advent calendar and also one filled with beer, is a movement I can get onboard with. In fact, the thought of it all makes me feel a little bit like Will Ferrell in that scene in Elf where he shouts ‘Santaaaaaaa.’
If you’re on the hunt for a beer advent calendar but aren’t sure which one to choose, I’ve created a handy guide below so you don’t miss out on that all important 1st December beer.
Beer Hawk (Cost: £49.99)
- Variety: 24 beers sourced from 14 different countries
- Exclusives: 19
- Beer Styles: 15
- Featured breweries: Mikkeller, Thornbridge, Tony Rebel, Amundsen, Magic Rock, Wild Beer, Bosteels and many more
- Shipping: Free on orders over £50
Postives: It looks the part, there are chances to win bonus prizes, the great price point means it’s just £2.08 a beer! Plus the exclusive beers are worth £80 alone and the additional advent calendar ‘cloaking device’ is hilarious.
Downsides: There’s an extra cost for the ‘cloaking device’.
HonestBrew (Cost: £79.99)
- Variety: 24 beers in 20 different styles from 9 different countries.
- Exclusives: 12
- Beer styles: 20
- Featured breweries: Boundary, Cloudwater, Pühaste, and Northern Monk.
- Shipping: Free express shipping
Positives: Members can get a £10 discount and it already arrives in spoiler free packaging.
Downsides: I wasn’t that impressed with my calendar a few years back but this looks like they may have shaken things up. To ensure delivery before the 1st of December, order by 3pm Friday 29th November at the latest (mainland UK only).
Very (Cost: 54.99)
- Variety: 24 beers in 20 different styles from 9 different countries.
- Exclusives: No info provided
- Beer styles: No info provided
- Featured breweries: Wiper & True, Thornbridge, Black Storm, Autumn Brewing co.
- Shpping: Free Delivery with Click & Collect on orders £25 or more
Positives: It’s currently on sale (saving £££), it also features loads of breweries whose beers I’ve never even sipped.
Downsides: The packaging looks a bit cheap and it takes 6 days to arrive meaning you’ll miss the 1st December beer!
Mikkeller (Cost: £114.00 at the current exchange rate)
- Variety: 24 beers (no further info)
- Exclusives: ‘Some newcomers and classics’
- Beer styles: No info provided except ‘a great variety’
- Featured breweries: Mikkeller, Mikkeller NYC & Baghaven beer!
- Shpping: Free
Positives: It looks pretty awesome, it’s resonably good value if you consider a decent 330ml Mikkeller beer can set you back between around £3-£10. You might even be able to bag a discount code on some of their social ads (I did).
Downsides: The price will be way too high for some and delivery for the 1st is not possible at all.
Beer Hunter ‘Best of British’ (Cost: £64.95)
- Variety: 24 beers (no further info)
- Exclusives: No info provided
- Beer styles: No info provided accept ‘a great variety’
- Featured breweries: Brewdog, First Chop, Shindigger
- Shpping: Standard Mainland UK Delivery £5.99 FREE Delivery on orders over £50.
Positives: you get a free Brewdog bottle opener and free delivery, it features all UK breweries (which could be a negative too), next day delivery is also available.
Downsides: It only features all UK breweries (may limit discovery element).
Summary
I brought the Mikkeller one as soon as I saw it because I couldn’t help myself! I’d totally have given the Beer Hawk one a whirl though as a second choice. Let me know which beer advent calendar you’ve purchased or if you’re skipping the trend totally in the comments below.
