(Beer) Advent day one: Punk IPA

I generously gifted myself one of Brewdog’s excellent advent calendars the day they were released to shareholders month ago. And then promptly forgot about it until it arrived a while back.

Without going into all the details, I now have two of said advent calendars, both of which contain twenty-four no doubt excellent beers, each of which I’m really looking forward to trying.

Today being the first day of advent, I ripped open the first door to reveal…a can of Punk IPA! While not a disappointment, I was hoping for a beer I’ve never tried before. I’ve possibly had more Punk in there last five years than any other beer. And that’s saying something.

I’m tucking into the first can right now and, as ever, it’s tasty as hell. My second favourite Brewdog beer, after their Speedbird IPA. Maybe it’s good to start with something familiar, to get the ball rolling.

And if I want something more exciting, I just noticed I’ve still got a couple of cans of the super-delicious Chilli Sea Salt Stout from Anspach & Hobday. Spicy and warming – the perfect drink for such a cold December evening. And bought the very evening lockdown 1.0 was announced.

I vaguely recall marking the occasions with more than a few pints of the stuff in A&H’s taproom on the Bermondsey Beer Mile. The details are quite hazy, if I’m honest, but my backpack was filled with 18 cans of their best stuff by the time I eventually left.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings. At least I know it won’t be another can of Punk.