First Pour

Another item has been checked off the bucket list! Yesterday, some friends and I attended First Pour. It's the annual event at Great Lakes Brewing Company that marks the first day they serve their Christmas Ale for the season. It has become a very big deal over the past five years or so, with lots of news coverage. Because we need something fun after watching who got shot that day in Cleveland.

I don't know if seasonal ale is that popular elsewhere, but there are many rivalries here amongst the regional breweries. My personal favorite is Thirsty Dog's 12 Dogs of Christmas, but GLBC's Christmas Ale is also very good. People tend to get greedy and stockpile it, so there are years that it's sold out by Thanksgiving. We learned our lesson and now pick up an extra 6 pack so that we can celebrate Christmas in July the next year.

Below are from the five hours we spent enjoying various ales and lunch. We met lots of friendly people, got a lesson in vaping, and watched an intoxicated woman, who told us she was born in 1969, stuff about 10 yards of their Christmas Ale display ribbon in her purse. I thought she was too old for that nonsense.


It was beautiful weather for day drinkers.

 
Santa arrived in the Fatty Wagon to tap the first keg of the season.

 
Requisite pose in front of the signage for this year. Theme was Ale-Alleluia.

 
It wouldn't be a party unless the cops and the paramedics came. We only saw one person get carried out on a stretcher. I think it was a good crowd. The cops that we saw all had the red Christmas ale ribbons tied to their guns. They spent the day walking around out front, texting, smoking, and drinking coffee.

 
We may have harassed Santa a bit at the end of the day.
Merry Christmas!

Comments

  1. bettyOctober 22, 2015 at 4:59 PM

    That looks like a lot of fun :) Seems like a perfect weather day too :) Some of those seasonal ales can be quite tasty too :)

    betty

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    1. BijouxOctober 22, 2015 at 6:50 PM

      The weather was awesome....71 degrees and sunny with a breeze.

      Delete
  2. sageOctober 22, 2015 at 5:09 PM

    That looks like fun! I don't generally go for seasonal beers (keep the pumpkin in the pie, please). My usual winter beers are porters and stouts and IPAs in the summer!

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    1. BijouxOctober 22, 2015 at 6:52 PM

      I can't do the dark, bitter beers. That's why I love things like pumpkin ale! I had a pineapple ale recently that was the bomb!

      Delete
  3. Pat HattOctober 22, 2015 at 6:24 PM

    Don't think they do that much here. Sure we have some ribbon stealers though haha Santa sure know how to have a good time.

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  4. joehOctober 22, 2015 at 8:03 PM

    Santa doesn't look harassed to me.

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    1. BijouxOctober 23, 2015 at 6:55 AM

      My friend was giving him fashion tips. His costume was too heavy for the weather.

      Delete
  5. Rob KOctober 22, 2015 at 8:26 PM

    Gosh, Bijoux, that sounds like a lot fun! Great photos. Wish I could've been there.

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    1. BijouxOctober 23, 2015 at 6:57 AM

      You would like this area of Cleveland. It's called Ohio City and is full of restaurants with outdoor patios. The infamous Westside Market is across the street.

      Delete
  6. Pixel PeeperOctober 22, 2015 at 8:42 PM

    I'm not much of a beer drinker, but I love the fact that all these smaller breweries are getting popular, oftentimes generating a lot of great events for the local community. I always get excited when I see a beer from Southern Tier Brewing Company, which is made just a few miles from where I used to live in New York.

    Funny - my son is in Cleveland right now...I wonder if maybe he visited the same event. *Off to text him and surprise the heck out of him*

    Oh - love the pictures!

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    1. Pixel PeeperOctober 22, 2015 at 8:53 PM

      Ha! My son just texted me back to let me know that he and his co-workers went to Great Lakes Brewing Company, but it was so busy that they ended up going somewhere else. Is this a small world or what?

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    2. BijouxOctober 23, 2015 at 7:05 AM

      Wow! That is crazy!! It was packed most of the day.

      My husband and I love Southern Tier, by the way!

      Delete
  7. AbbyOctober 23, 2015 at 1:05 AM

    you got a lesson in vaping? how did you like it?

    xoxo,
    www.thefrugalblogger.net

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    1. BijouxOctober 23, 2015 at 7:07 AM

      We didn't try it.....the guy was just showing us how he fills it, etc. I thought it was wack that he was vaping strawberry lemonade.

      Delete
  8. Mary KirklandOctober 23, 2015 at 4:08 AM

    Looks like you all had a good time. I don't really know if that kind of thing is big around here since I don't drink at all.

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    1. BijouxOctober 23, 2015 at 7:09 AM

      I don't remember seeing or hearing about breweries in Vegas, but there has to be some.

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  9. CraigOctober 23, 2015 at 5:07 PM

    OK. . . so what makes it a 'Christmas Ale'?

    And I've always been impressed, and a bit mystified, by guys like Santa #2, who grow their beards out like they WANT to look Santa-esque. . .

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    1. BijouxOctober 24, 2015 at 9:13 AM

      Honey, cinnamon and ginger.

      He really did look like Santa!

      Delete
  10. MarkOctober 23, 2015 at 5:50 PM

    I can assure you that seasonal ales are a very big deal here in the PNW, as well. Sadly, I'm not a beer fan, so I have to content myself with seasonal bloody marys. Which do not exist. Bah, humbug!

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    1. BijouxOctober 24, 2015 at 9:16 AM

      I'm not sure I could be paid to drink tomato juice, even with the booze mixed in. Childhood trauma!

      There must be a candy cane martini you would like!

      Delete
  11. nickOctober 25, 2015 at 2:19 PM

    Sounds like a good time was had by all! We certainly don't have an early Christmas ale tasting in the UK. The breweries are obviously missing a trick. Craft beers (those produced in small quantities by small firms) are getting very popular and denting the profits of the big names like Guinness.

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    1. BijouxOctober 25, 2015 at 6:28 PM

      Yes! Same with the craft beers here. Cheers!

      Delete
  12. AnonymousOctober 26, 2015 at 10:49 AM

    The seasonal ale things has started to gain some traction here now but I haven't yet tried any Holiday versions. Sadly the pumpkin ales around here so far have been a vile lot so we tend to avoid them.

    Sounds like a great time, and only 1 stretcher!

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    1. BijouxOctober 26, 2015 at 11:13 AM

      I think the rowdy after-work crowd was arriving as we left. A fairly tame time was had by us!

      Delete
  13. Blue GrumpsterOctober 26, 2015 at 4:29 PM

    I'm sure Santa didn't mind. Did you say. Thirsty Dog's 12 Dogs of Christmas? Bottoms up!

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    1. BijouxOctober 26, 2015 at 7:53 PM

      Yes! The name is quite a mouthful, isn't it? I would like that marketing job.

      Delete
  14. CrystalChickNovember 3, 2015 at 9:08 AM

    I don't know if we have events like that nearby… never been to one.. but then I'm more of a wino and we do have plenty of wineries in NJ! Ron buys Samuel Adams seasonal beers sometimes. We sometimes go for dinner somewhere that has special brews and we'll try one or two.
    Glad you had fun.

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    1. BijouxNovember 3, 2015 at 1:00 PM

      We like Sam Adams too. I like beer or wine tastings....I'm not picky!

      Delete
  15. Secret Agent WomanNovember 11, 2015 at 4:18 PM

    I love pretty much any beer or wine event, and this one looks like a lot of fun. I often buy seasonal brews, but try to find them in either pale ale or IPA version.

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