Here are the Current Aldi Advent Calendars
Check out the Current Year: Aldi Beer Advent Calendar 2022
Aldi Beer Advent Calendar- All 24 beers tried and rated
The Beer Advent Calendar includes 24 different beers to take you from December 1st to Christmas Eve. There are seventeen 11.2-oz bottles and seven 12-oz bottles. Here are all 24 beers you get in the 2021 Aldi Beer Advent Calendar.
Wernesgruner German Pilsner, 4.9% ABV (Day 17): 4.5/5
Very nice beer, smooth, easy to drink with enough bite from the hops and carbonation to balance it out and maybe just a bit of fruity ester on the finish. One of the better ones in the box so far.
White Tide Belgian White Ale, 5% ABV (Day 11): 4/5
My local Aldi carries this beer pretty regularly- at least during the summer and I buy it here and there. It is a good solid beer that is crisp and refreshing perfect for the summer. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for after shoveling the 8 inches of snow we just got but it was still a nice beer. This beer is similar to a Blue Moon and while it is not anything exceptional, it is tasty and I rate it a 4/5.
Brens Lager, 5% ABV (Day 23): 3.5/5
I tend to shy away from imports in green bottles unless they come enclosed in a solid box. The green (or clear) bottles don’t protect the beer from light as much so they often taste “off” or even skunked. That is not the case here, possibly because it was in an enclosed box. This is a crisp clean lager with a lot of carbonation and a bit minerality. I think it is a good german lager but that isn’t a style I buy very often so I am even less of an expert than the other beers. I would drink this again but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it. I would probably hesitate if I saw these green bottles in a standard exposed 6 pack, not sure that it is worth the risk. If you like german lagers I would give this one a try if you see it in the store. I’m giving it a 3.5/5.
Kristoffel Blonde Ale, 6% (Day 2): 4/5
Going to Belgium again for day 2 which is great for me as Belgian beers are high on my list. This time we have a Belgium Blonde Ale. This is the same style of Leffe beer which is a widely available premium brand owned by InBev. I would say the flavor is good overall and well balanced, maybe a bit less dry and less carbonated compared to Leffe but it has been a while since I have had Leffe. Overall a good beer but a bit more of an aftertaste than I would prefer, the flavor kind of sticks around just a bit to long. I’ll give it 4/5 again. I’d buy it if they offered it at Aldi but there are probably better Belgian Blondes out there (for a higher price).
Kristoffel White Ale, 5% (Day 1): 4/5
My first beer starts off with a nice Abbey Style Belgian White (Wheat Ale with Orange Peel and Coriander) from Kristoffel. If you aren’t familiar with the style it would be similar to a Blue Moon in the US. It is very light, smooth, cloudy and drinkable with a little yeast character but not anything spectacular. I tend to like Belgian ales including white/wit so this is one I would buy again if Aldi started selling it on it’s own but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it. I’ll give it a 4/5 stars, it is a good start to the Beer Advent Calendar.
Kristoffel Dark Ale, 6% (Day 22): 4/5
I’m a sucker for Belgian ales and I enjoy dark beers so this one may be getting points just for the style of beer but I like it. It is dark and decently rich, I probably don’t want to drink more than 1-2 in a sitting but it is a tasty beer. It loses a point because it has an aftertaste that lingers for awhile, not a bad taste but it doesn’t make me want to reach for another right away. Overall it is 4/5.
O’Shea’s Irish Lager, 4.4% ABV (Day 12): 2/5
This is a nice looking clear honey-colored lager but unfortunately it doesn’t taste as good as it looks. It starts out clean and crisp with nice carbonation but once you are past that initial phase the tast just seems off. Not by much fortunately but it just seems to be a little oxidized or something, it could be I don’t prefer type of hops they use. I rate it a 2/5 stars.
O’Shea’s Hoppy Lager, 4.2% ABV (Day 18): 4/5
This is a good, balanced beer with a decent amount of flavor while still feeling light. Good hop flavor and a nice carbonation and head. 4/5.
O’Shea’s Celtic Wheat Beer, 4.3% ABV (Day 7): 3.5/5
A crisp clean wheat ale with strong carbonation and a bit of minerality. Not overly flavorful but easily drinkable and would be great on a summer day although I am tasting it at the start of a Midwest winter. I’ll give this one another 3.5/5.
O’Shea’s Irish Red Ale, 4.3% ABV (Day 16): 4/5
This was a nice smooth dark but mild flavored red ale with roasted malt notes and a good balance. This isn’t what I normally would drink but it is a nice change up from the norm and worth getting again. I rate it 4/5.
O’Shea’s Irish Stout, 4.5% ABV (Day 14): 3/5
This is a decent stout but not quite what I am looking for in a stout. It seems a bit more on the bitter side than stouts I generally like, it doesn’t have as much of the chocolate, roasted, toffee, coffee flavors I generally go for in a stout. If you are looking for a Guinness you are probably going to be disappointed. Guinness is generally pretty mild, almost light which seems crazy to say for such a dark beer while this has a strong flavor and is missing the nitro head that Guinness is known for. I’ll rate it a 3/5.
O’Shea’s IPA, 6% ABV (Day 5): 3.5/5
A nice smooth, balanced IPA. Decent flavor and bitterness from the hops but not overly strong. The main note is hops, not a lot of other flavors going on but that is pretty typical for an IPA. Not sure on the type of hops in this beer but I don’t get a strong citra taste. Overall a nice drinkable beer with a nice color and no strong aftertaste. I give it a 3.5/5.
O’Shea’s Pale Ale, 4.8% ABV (Day 19): 2/5
This beer looks great in a glass, its pale and golden with a little head that doesn’t stick around long. The flavor is ok but not great in my opinion, it is just a bit too bitter without much else to balance it out. I am not sure if it is the type of hops or what but the flavor is just not pleasant on my palate. I think it may have the same hops as to the O’Shea’s Irish Lager, which I didn’t care for either. It is drinkable but not something I would buy again 2/5.
Deadly Brewing Amber Ale, 4.8% ABV (Day 9): 2.5/5
Amber ales aren’t generally my favorite style so it just be personal preference but I’m not a big fan of this one. It has a nice color and head but the flavor isn’t for me. I don’t drink much Amber Ale so I can’t judge it this is a good Amber Ale or not but for my preferences I give it a 2.5/5. I would drink it but wouldn’t order a second.
Deadly Brewing East Coast IPA, 6% ABV (Day 6): 3.5/5
Similar to the Deadly Brewing Hazy IPA but clear and with more hops and just a bit more fruitiness but still very minimal. The front label lists tropical fruits but I don’t pick up a lot. I would say this is better that the Hazy IPA by just a bit and I’ll give it a 3.5/5.
Deadly Brewing Grapefruit IPA, 5% ABV (Day 24): 3/5
This IPA sticks with the theme of the others from Deadly Brewing: smooth and drinkable but one note. This time the note was grapefruit and it had the characteristic citrus with bitterness that comes from grapefruit. The grapefruit is not overpowering and it tends to lean more bitter notes and less citrus. This isn’t overly bitter but with the body being thin and crisp it doesn’t have much else to lean on. Overall a very drinkable beer that would have been better on a hot summer day.
Deadly Brewing Hazy IPA, 5% ABV (Day 3): 3/5
This was a smooth drinkable IPA, not overly hopped or bitter but kind of one note and lacking flavor. The bottle says fruit forward but I didn’t really get much fruitiness besides just a hint of citrus from the hops. A decent beer that I’ll rate 3/5.
Blonde Ale, 4.5% ABV (Day 15): 3/5
This is a nice mild ale that is a great golden color with a mild, clean taste. It has a bit more flavor than your typical mass market lager but it fits in the same category of those light beers. It is light and refreshing and I would buy it again if it is one the shelf next summer but it doesn’t really standout from other beers you can get at every grocery and liquor store. I rate it a 3/5.
Bock,4.5% ABV (Day 21): 4/5
I liked this beer a lot, it is a nice clean, crisp lager with mild flavor and no strong after taste. This would be a beer I would buy regularly if available. This Aldi Bock doesn’t have a brand name but it is brewed by Prestige Beer Group out of Wisconsin according to the bottle. I think it is available at times throughout the year at Aldi but I’m not sure. I will be keeping my eyes open for it on next Aldi run. It was great with some buffalo wings but it would go well with a lot of different meals.
Cherry Kolsch, 4.5% ABV (Day 10): 4/5
This Kolsch was a nice refreshing and light beer with just a hint of tart cherry on the finish. I was worried about this being overly sweet or fruity (or just bad like the key lime sour) but it was a simple and balanced beer. I wasn’t overly flavorful or complex but I don’t think it needed to be for this style of beer. The cherry adds just a bit of flavor and color. I would buy this again for a refreshing summer beer but I wasn’t blown away by it. I’ll rate it 4/5.
Key Lime Sour, 4.5% ABV (Day 4): 1/5
I am not generally a fan of fruit beers or beers that are trying to go named like they are trying to taste like a desert but I do like sours. Unfortunately this was not a good sour. It had some tartness and some lime flavor but both tasted artificial. It is smooth and not overpowering while drinking it but that aftertaste is sickly. This could be personal preference but I have to rate it 1/5, I did not finish this beer.
Session IPA, 4.5% ABV (Day 13): 4/5
This is the type of IPA I really like. It is light, bright, and not overpowered with hops. Feels like I could drink a few of this in a row without getting sick of it which is what you are looking for with a session beer. This would be great on a summer afternoon with a burger off the grill. I’ll rate it a 4/5.
Aldi Dry Hopped Sour Ale, 5.2% ABV (Day 8): 4.5/5
This is probably my favorite beer from the Aldi Beer Advent Calendar up to this point. I think this is probably the same sour they sold this summer in 16 oz cans and I hope they bring it back again soon because I would buy it regularly. It is very tart (more so than I remember from the can) but after a drink or two you palate adjusts to the tartness and it has great flavor. This beer is not going to be everyone’s favorite but I like sours and haven’t been wowed by the other beers so far, most have been good but not great. This one gets the highest rating so far at 4.5/5.
Aldi Winter Lager, 5.6% ABV (Day 20): 3.5/5
This is a pretty good dark beer. It is smooth and mild with notes of toasted grain and maybe just a bit of chocolate. Not a lot of sweetness which is good, it is well balanced as is, but it is not very interesting. It doesn’t stand out making me want to get another but I have no problem finishing it. Overall it is a 3.5/5 stars.
Aldi Beer Advent Calendar Overview
Many of these beers are not available throughout the year from Aldi so getting the Advent Calendar is the only way you can get them from Aldi. I love beer advent calendars because it is one of the few times that you can get a sample or variety pack with 24 different beers, often with different brands and styles. I’ll be trying each beer and leaving a quick review so check back if the review isn’t up yet for the beer you are looking for.
More Aldi Wine, Beer, and Alcohol Reviews: Red Wine –White Wine – Beer – All Alcohol – Winking Owl
Looking for Aldi’s other Advent Calendars? Check them out here.
Reviews of Aldi Beer Advent Calendar: What beer was your favorite?
Nice variety of beer with some hits and misses.
This is a nice way to try a variety of beers but at about halfway through there have been some bad beers along with the good beers. I haven’t had any great beer but for the price and the fact that it is grocery store beer and not craft beer they have been pretty good overall. The all the Belgian beers have been nice and the dry-hopped sour was another favorite that I wouldn’t expect from Aldi.
