So as not to spoil Herr J's fun, I did not reveal online the contents of his Advent Beer Calendar.
Some we had tried before (in the German Beer Championship), and others were new....but the calendar opened up possibilities of non-German beers and "beers" that do not conform to the Reinheitsgebot, and thus cannot be called "beer."
;)
The 24 Beers of Advent 2010 were:
Tegernseer Hell
Beck's Ice
Beck's Green Lime
Heineken
Beck's Gold
Paulaner Originial Münchener Hell
Paulaner Hefeweißbier Natrutrüb
Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen Grapefruit
Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen Kaktusfeige (Cactus-Fig flavor)
Guinness
Desperados
Magners Irish Cider
Budvar (the Czech Budweiser)
Bittburger
Cab (Dragon-Fruit flavored cola & beer)
Samuel Smith's India Ale
Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter
Foster's
Corona Extra
Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale
Warsteiner
Jever Pils
Legendary Duff Beer (yes, Homer Simpson's favorite)
König Pilsner
And as with any chocolate sampler, there are one or two "suprises"....here we had two potential bombs: Cab, the Dragonfruit-flavored Cola & Beer, and Desperados Tequila-flavored beer.
;)
Now, you have to understand that I mock Desperados relentlessly. I had never tried it, but the commercials were endless on MTV and billboards. And I just didn't get the concept. Sure, I enjoyed a nice tequila followed by a Bohemia beer in Mexico. But I did not mix them. And most of the under-25 party crowd (the group targeted by Desperados) doesn't drink tequila for it's taste....so why flavor a beer with tequila?
But I tried it, blindly, in a taste test with Samuel Smith's India Ale. (In my cute Ladybug and Ribbit glasses that we often use for tasting....)
Herr J brought me a glass of each, without telling me what I was drinking. The India Ale was a bit too hoppy for my taste.
And after a sip of the Desperados, I said, "Wow, that's good, suprisingly sweet. What is it?"
I was shocked when he told me. Now, I probably wouldn't order it in a bar or buy a case. But it mostly tastes like a Radler (half beer, half lemon soda) or a Beck's lime. So, a super light and refreshing beer with a little sweetness. Something you would drink on a hot summer day in Texas or by the river. So, I stand corrected, and there is actually a time and a place for drinking Desperados. Not sure why they say it tastes like tequila, but I guess that makes it sound edgier than Beck's Lime or Bud Light Lime.
We'll let you know how the Cab tastes....It's brewed by Krombacher, so it might be actually be good.