[twitter]The 2013 Craft Beer Advent Calendar has arrived at our house again this year. This is a hugely popular grown up advent calendar that this year is featuring craft beers from North America.

Each day I get my kids to open the door to fetch daddy a beer, and will highlight the offerings here.

THE BREWERY: Nickel Brook, Burlington, Ontario
John and Peter Romano, owners of Better Bitters Brewing Company (since 1992), built the Nickel Brook micro brewery from the ground up, and since 2005, Nickel Brook has quickly developed a reputation for having a lively and enticing line up of beers.

THE BEER: Nickel Brook Maple Porter
“We brewed our Nickel Brook Maple Porter to be a robust and full bodied porter, using premium roasted and pale malts. We then infuse pure, dark Canadian maple syrup into the brewing process, so the maple essence becomes integrated during fermentation. The result is a truly wonderful and complex mixture of roast you desire in a robust porter, with background hints of maple flavour and aroma.

Ingredients: water, malted grains: dark chocolate, pale chocolate, crystal, carapils, wheat, pure dark Canadian maple syrup, hops: German magnum, UK fuggles, yeast: dry English”

TASTING NOTES:
“At 6% ABV, this is a robust porter made with maple syrup. Look for coffee and nut aromas and a richly malty flavour with some smoke in the finish. The maple in this beer is subtle, but it’s there if you look for it.” via Craft Beer Advent Calendar on Facebook

REVIEW: 3.5/5 on Untappd
It’s a porter first and foremost. You get smoke and oat and chocolate before you get even a whiff of maple. If you didn’t see maple on the label you wouldn’t know it’s there unless you have an impeccable palate that can nail the subtle sweet.

Click here to see all the beers in the 2013 Craft Beer Advent Calendar.