2019 is coming to a close and we wanted to share some recommendations for the holiday season—beer recommendations, to be specific! I present to you Ivanti’s 12 Beers of Christmas: 2019 Edition.

Whether you are a connoisseur of craft beer or are looking to expand your horizons, you will find a variety of suggestions from Ivanti employees and customer advocates from around the globe.

A special thanks to all our customer advocates who submitted suggestions! We had an overwhelming number of submissions this year, so for those who did not make the cut, my apologies. I could only put so many in the blog.

So, from all of us here at Ivanti and our broader Ivanti family to all of you, we wish you a happy holiday season—no matter what you celebrate—and a very prosperous new year! (And remember, drink responsibly.)

IPAs

Merry Christmas to all the hop-heads out there. Here is the lineup for IPA recommendations this year.

  • Brandon, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Tasmanian IPA by The Schlafly Tap Room
    Style: American IPA   ABV: 7.2%    IBU: 60
    Description: Heavy on Australian Galaxy hops and balanced in bitterness, with recognizable tropical notes.
  • Kelly, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Killer Cupcake Panda by Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery
    Style: American Imperial IPA   ABV: 8.2%   IBU: 37
    Description: Sometimes cute and sweet can be edgy too! Killer Cupcake Panda is a double IPA with exotic pandan leaves, citrus custard, and cupcake aromas with just the tiniest edge of bitterness at the finish to keep it from being too sweet. Grab extra, you won't want to share this one!
  • Ross, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Great Lakes IPA by Great Lakes Brewing
    Style: American IPA  ABV: 6.5%   IBU: 50
    Description: A dry-hopped, easy-drinking American IPA by the people, for the people (who happen to be our employee-owners!).
  • Matt, Ivanti Engineering Manager
    Beer Recommendation: King Sue by Toppling Goliath
    Style: New England IPA   ABV: 7.8%   IBU: 100+
    Description: Untapped says it all “This lusciously hazy double IPA gains its hints of mango, orange, and pineapple from the use of the delicious Citra hop”. It’s recently gone from beer snob elite status to accessible. It’s been available in Decora, Iowa for years; but just this year they’ve bumped it up to year round production. Don’t fret! It’s still every bit as good when it was small batch only.
  • Darth Jodius, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Glutiny Pale Ale by New Belgium
    Style: American IPA  ABV: 6%   IBU: 30
    Description: Light sweetness and even lighter tartness that slides into a mild and balanced bitterness. BEST “Gluten Removed” beer for your money!
  • Michael, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: M-43 by Old Nation Brewing Co.
    Style: New England IPA   ABV: 6.8%   IBU: 65
    Description: M-43 is designed to accentuate the deep and complex character from the combination of Calypso, Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe hops. Citrus and tropical notes of pineapple.
  • Johnathan, Ivanti Software Engineer
    Beer Recommendation: Space Cake DIPA by Clown Shoes.
    Style: American Imperial IPA   ABV: 9%   IBU: N\A
    Description: It pours a nice rich amber with a good head. The beer has a sweet aroma, with some tropical fruits in the balance. There’s a strong backbone of malt to offset the ample hops, with the initial taste being a mix of sweet caramel malt balanced with a bit of hop bitterness. This gives way to more tropical flavors like mango and pineapple, with a hint of resin. Nice thick mouthfeel and a flavor that lingers. Dangerously drinkable for a 9% beer.

Pilsners, Lagers, and Blonds

On the lighter side for those who aren’t into the hop craze or darker beers.

  • Kevin, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Lion’s Paw by Fernson Brewing Company
    Style: Vienna Lager  ABV: 4.6%   IBU: 24
    Description: The truth is like a lion. You don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself. Lion's Paw Lager requires a feat of patience and resolve. Fermented and stored for weeks until the beer tells us it's ready to be released to the world. Fresh, crisp, and well-balanced, this german-style lager delivers a clean, elegant.
  • ​Nico, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Leffe Blonde
    Style: Belgian Blonde Ale  ABV: 6.6%  IBU: N/A
    Description: Considered the Budweiser of Belgium, but don’t let that fool you. This beer has a balanced sweetness and fruity notes.Thomas, Ivanti Customer Advocate
  • Thomas, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Kirner Pils by Kirner Bier
    Style: German Pilsner  ABV: 4.8%   IBU: N/A
    Description: White head. Golden yellow. Decent pils. Bready and biscuit. Earthy and grassy hops. Light bodied. Fairly clean. Very simply pils. Easy drinking..

Belgian Ales

My personal favorite. I group Belgian beers into two families: the farmhouse ales and what I like to refer to as monk beers. Trappist, doubles, triples, quads, and strong dark are many of the types you will find descended from traditional beers brewed by Belgian monks who would fortify the beers as a staple to supplement their diet during the winter season.

  • Rene, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Leffe Triple
    Style: Belgian Triple  ABV: 8.5%   IBU: 15
    Description: Light and sweet. Leffe Tripel is an authentic blond abbey beer full of character that experiences a secondary fermentation in the bottle due to the presence of yeast. Its flavor is robust and refined.
  • Jonnathan, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Maredsous 10 – Triple by Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat
    Style: Belgian Triple  ABV: 10%   IBU: N\A
    Description: It is a delicious strong, sweet and heady beer that will delight the initiated.
  • Mick, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Westmalle Trappist Tripel
    Style: Belgian Triple  ABV: 9.5%   IBU: N\A
    Description: A  strong, dry and spicy trappist ale.
  • Mike, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Delirium Christmas by Brouwerij Huyghe
    Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale  ABV: 10%   IBU: N\A
    Description: A fine, white, creamy and lacing foam with complex entity of caramel malt, fruit, spices and the sweetness of the alcohol. Flavor is strong with a presence of alcohol, very spicy, slightly bitter. The aftertaste is sweet, spicy and slightly bitter.
  • Kurt, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Three Philosophers by Ommegang
    Style: Belgian Quadrupel  ABV: 9.7%   IBU: N\A
    Description: Three Philosophers is a unique blend of a Belgian-style dark ale and Liefmans Kriek, an authentic cherry ale from Belgium. Cherry chestnut in color, it's opaque but not cloudy with full carbonation topped by a smooth, tan head. Flavors and aromas of roasted malt, molasses and brown sugar, dark fruits, brandied raisins and chocolate, Three Philosophers has notable sweetness with low hop bitterness. The mid-palate shows a soft malt center which gives way to a dry, warm, wine-like finish.
  • Marc, Ivanti Customer Advocate and Ryan, Ivanti Customer Advocate (This has to be good if two of our Advocates suggested it!)
    Beer Recommendation: Christmas Ale by Great Lakes Brewing
    Style: Winter Warmer  ABV: 7.5%   IBU: N\A
    Description: Marc says it is “Full of holiday spice and everything nice!” and Ryan is it like “Cinnamon and Santa!”. Christmas Ale’s fresh honey, cinnamon, and ginger flavors will bring a Yuletide’s worth of holiday spices and sweet honey to keep you a-wassailing all season long.

Stouts and Ales

The heavy hitters. We have a few options here this year that are guaranteed to please those of with a taste for darker beers.

  • Michael, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation: Medianoche is My Safe Word, by WeldWerks Brewing Style: Imperial Stout   ABV: 13.9%   IBU: N/A
    Description: Medianoche is My Safe Word is a WeldWerks and Cerebral collaboration beer, which combines unique aspects from WeldWerks' Medianoche and Cerebral's Barrel-Aged Safe Word. This 13.9% ABV imperial oatmeal stout was aged in a freshly emptied 10-year rye whiskey barrel for over 21 months. This single barrel batch was conditioned on freshly roasted Belize cacao nibs from Cultura Craft Chocolate, organic toasted coconut, and organic Indonesian cassia bark. This was a single barrel, draft only collaboration project..
  • Deshon, Ivanti Customer Advocate and Jim, Ivanti Customer Advocate (Another beer suggested by two of our advocates!)
    Beer Recommendation: Nitro Milk Stout by Left Hand Brewery
    Style: English Sweet / Milk Stout  ABV: 6%   IBU: N\A
    Description: Deshon says it is “dark & delicious great with a steak or even some peanuts” and Ryan it is “Smooth and dark”. The aroma is of brown sugar and vanilla cream, with hints of roasted coffee. The pillowy head coats your upper lip and its creaminess entices your palate. Initial roasty, mocha flavors rise up, with slight hop & roast bitterness in the finish. The rest is pure bliss of milk chocolate fullness.
  • Jose, Ivanti Customer Advocate
    Beer Recommendation:  Murphy’s Irish Red by Murphy Brewery Ireland
    Style: Irish Red Ale   ABV: 5%  IBU: N\A
    Description: Characteristically smooth with hints of caramel malt sweetness beautifully balanced with a distinct yet subtle hoppy.
  • Shane, Ivanti Pre Sales Consultant
    Beer Recommendation: Fat Man Red Suit Big Sack by Bride Road Brewers
    Style: India Red Ale  ABV: 7.5%  IBU: N/A  
    Description: A sneaky little Xmas number that entices you with it's name, and delivers a punch like Rudolf's rear end if you're not careful. Lovely flavors in this nice, orangey, amber colored ale. Tastes of orange marmalade and other citrusy overtones, and a nice clean finish.