It’s our (1st) Annual Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar!  

Unwrapping holiday treats all month!

All month long we’ll be opening our Holiday Beer & Food Advent calendar and sharing what we find on Pair & Ale, along with our Facebook and Instagram pages.  Follow along for all the great holiday beers, food pairings, and festivities on our little island here in coastal North Carolina.  We’ll be updating this blog post throughout the holiday season, so keep checking back.  Happy Holidays!

Day 1 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! Highland Brewing’s Cold Mountain spiced winter seasonal decked out in his Ugly Christmas Sweater.  Great tasting winter warmer… Poor taste in fashion.  #highlandbrewing #holidaycheers #beeradventcalendar #whilesupplieslast #ncbeer #drinklocalbeer #sugarislandnc #surfcitync #topsailisland #beerstagram #instabeer #christmas #beerandfood

 

 

Day 2 of our Beer and Food Holiday Advent Calendar! Fullsteam Brewery’s (Durham, NC) seasonal Coffee Pecan Porter. Delicious! Try it with some Sugar Island coconut macaroons, and that’s a nice bite. There’s just the right balance of sweetness between the beer and our macaroons, and the flavors of toasted pecans and toasted coconut go so well together. #holidaycheers #fullsteambrewery #ncbeer #drinklocalbeer #nccraftbeer #surfcitync #topsailisland #sugarislandnc #christmas2016 #beerandfood #beeradventcalendar

 

 

Day 3 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! First Frost from Fullsteam Brewery (Durham, NC) stays true to their #plowtopint mission.  It’s a Belgian-style winter seasonal made with foraged persimmons.  A lot of work goes into this wonderful golden ale.  #fullsteambrewery #ncbeer #holidaycheers #drinklocalbeer #sugarislandnc #surfcitync #topsailisland #beerstagram #beeradventcalendar #persimmon #foraging

 

 

Day 4 of our Beer & Food Holiday Advent Calendar with St. Benedict’s Breakfast Dubbel from Haw River Farmhouse Ales out of Saxapahaw, NC! The Belgian spices in this coffee infused Dubbel match up well with the holiday spices in our fruitcake and stout bread! #holidaycheers #hawriverales #drinklocalbeer #ncbeer #beerandfood #beeradventcalendar #beerstagram #sugarislandnc #surfcitync #topsailisland

 

 

Day 5 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC) makes one of my absolute favorite IPAs, Pernicious. It has the best tropical hop aroma and flavor. While not necessarily a seasonal brew, I’d always be happy finding this under the tree. #holidaycheers #wickedweedbrewing #beeradventcalendar #christmas2016 #ncbeer #drinklocalbeer #nccraftbeer #surfcitync #topsailisland #sugarislandnc #beerstagram

 

 

Day 6 of our Holiday Beer and Food Advent Calendar. It’s tradition! Anchor Brewing’s special Christmas ale! Did you know… the same artist has been asked to create unique Christmas trees for this label each year for over forty years now? That’s a pretty cool tradition, too. #holidaycheers #craftbeer #beeradventcalendar #beertography

 

 

 

Day 7 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! This just in! Oh My Quad from Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville, NC! A big (13.4%) barrel aged Belgian style quad brewed with cherries. That’s a big beer! #wickedweedbrewing #ncbeer #drinklocalbeer #nccraftbeer #surfcitync #topsailisland #sugarislandnc #christmas2016 #beeradventcalendar #beertography #craftbeer #belgianquad

 

 

Day 8 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! Olde Hickory Brewery’s Christmas coming to us from Hickory, NC. Way more than ornamentation; it’s a perfect choice to enjoy with a plate of ginger chews! #holidaycheers #beeradventcalendar #beerandfood #oldehickorybrewery #ncbeer #drinklocalbeer #nccraftbeer #instabeer #sugarislandnc #surfcitync #topsailisland #beertography

 

 

 

Day 9 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! La Bonte Pear from Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville, NC! An effervescent Brettanomyces Farmhouse ale fermented with French pears and aged in oak foeders. This one hits ALL the right notes for this style of beer. It’s just the right amount of tart, funky, and fruit. #holidaycheers #wickedweedbrewing #ncbeer #drinklocalbeer #nccraftbeer #beeradventcalendar #sourbeer #sugarislandnc #surfcitync #topsailisland #beerstagram

 

 

Day 10 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! Another holiday classic, Celebration fresh hop IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing (Mills River, NC). #holidaycheers #sierranevadabrewing #nccraftbeer #ncbeer #christmas2016 #instabeer #beerstagram

 

Day 11 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! Lindley Park barrel aged imperial stout, with raspberries and honey from Olde Hickory Brewery (Hickory, NC). So good with dark chocolate! Like Sugar Island Bakery’s Holiday Lump of Coal cookies, with all kinds of dark chocolate and a touch of @singingdogvanilla vanilla salt! #holidaycheers #oldehickorybrewery #sugarislandnc #drinklocalbeer #madeinnc #ncbeer #nccraftbeer #surfcitync #topsailisland #beeradventcalendar #beertography #beerandfood

 

Day 12 of our Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! Ponysaurus Brewing’s Bière de Garde, coming out of Durham, NC. This is a great food beer, with wonderful aromas of freshly cracked grain and fruit. Try it with freshly baked apple pie for Christmas! #holidaycheers #ponysaurusbrewing #ncbeer #drinklocalbeer #nccraftbeer #sugarislandnc #surfcitync #topsailisland #beerstagram #instabeer #beerandfood

Follow along with our Facebook and Instagram pages for the rest of the story…  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!