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The 12 Stouts of Christmas were back for 2020 at Draught Horse Brewery!

Unlike other breweries putting their product in cans for to-go sales, Draught Horse’s 12 Stouts of Christmas are first come, first serve with limited amounts available for take out.

I stopped by one December evening for a to go of the latest variant and was told that the last pour was walking out the door toward the fire pits, but that one of the honorable mention stouts was still available. The honorable mention stouts for 2020 were Amaretto, Apple Pie Crust, and Rainbow Sherbet. The latter was what was still available and I thought to myself, Rainbow Sherbet Stout?! What kind of magical mystery was that?! I ordered a growler and was on my way.

The honorable mention 12 Stouts were released in mid November to Mug Club members before the general public. The 12 Stouts of Christmas were released based on the following schedule beginning at the end of November and throughout December.

November 25 | Cotton Candy

November 28 | Cinnamon Bun

December 1 | Double Chocolate Mud Pie

December 3 | Pineapple Fire

December 5 | Marshmallow

December 8 | Salted Carmel

December 10 | Cookie Dough

December 12 | Rocky Road

December 15 | Pina Colada

December 17 | Vanilla Cappuccino

December 19 | Butter Pecan

December 22 | Oatmeal Cookie

The Mystery Stout was released on Christmas Eve and ended up being the stout base barrel aged in Sherry barrels for four months. All of these stouts including the honorable mention stouts and the mystery one sounded delicious, but the Rainbow Sherbet Stout was the head scratcher and I was looking forward to tasting it.

RELATED: Draught Horse Brewery Mystery Stout Release Party (2018)

I was a bit saddened to see that the stout poured dark like oil instead of a colorful rainbow with glitter and shit, but that would be quite the feat to pull off. After being poured out of the growler, the nose had big, bold stout-like flavors. The first few sips were surprisingly fruity and very different from one another. It was like I was eating a rainbow ice cream with the difficulty to have the same exact bite or in the case of the beer the same exact sip as the last. As the stout warmed, the fruity notes increased on both the nose and with each sip. The balance between the stout characteristics and the fruit notes was tremendous. At 7% this stout wasn’t too heavy or too light. It was just right in terms of drinkability. I have to tip my hat to Draught Horse for creating such a playful and unique beer.

RELATED: Beer Review – Draught Horse Brewery – Cherry White Stout

Draught Horse Brewery is at 57721 West Grand River Avenue in Lyon Township / New Hudson (depends on who you ask). As mentioned above, they have a large tent and fire pits up for people to enjoy outdoor drinking until the latest MDHHS COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Check them out this winter, stay warm and safe, and enjoy their delicious beers!

Cheers!

Disclaimer: Ed purchased this beer for review!


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Ed Norton

Edwin "Ed" Norton was first introduced to craft beer when his designated fraternity Big Brother Vince asked him if he knew anything about the topic. Ed admitted his ignorance and the rest is history as Ed and Vince would split six-packs of craft beers each week during Ed's probationary status. Ed is now a craft beer enthusiast who is always on the lookout for a beer he has not tried when bottle shopping or drinking at breweries and bars. In addition to drinking beer, this livelong Michigan resident enjoys a bunch of hobbies that he doubts you really care about, other than drinking beer and sounding off about it.

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