When we tasted this beer last year, our first thought was: this is Christmas Morning Beer! We suggested the community use it as such and the amount of members who told us that’s exactly what they did was staggering. Then we tasted this year’s release and our response was: this is Christmas Morning Beer! So we’re going to describe it exactly the same way we did before …

Kids wake up before the crack of dawn Christmas morning and dive under the tree to get to the good stuff. But we adults have to wait until a “respectable” 11 a.m., maybe noon before we can even touch the real good stuff (read: booze). There’s a word for this: unfair!

The Lost Abbey’s brand new Gnoel De Abbey Holiday Ale evens the playing field. Partial barrel-aging means it drinks like roasted chestnut-flavored coffee that’s been “respectfully” spiked with bourbon. It may be 8.5% ABV but it goes down light and smooth. You could put half the bottle to bed before the wrapping even comes off the presents -- and you’ll still be cleared to operate vital machinery like a waffle maker or pancake griddle.

Pour it in your favorite Christmas coffee cup -- it’ll look right at home there. Vanilla and soft espresso will pop out of the glass with perfect innocence. Taste carefully roasted malts and glimpses of gingerbread spice that taunt the palate with hints of mischief. The body is so light that you’ll forget you’re drinking a barrel-aged beer and just assume Santa charmed your java with North Pole whiskey. (If only that were a thing.)

We only get 24 hours of actual Christmas, so we need to capitalize on every moment of merriment we can. Thanks to Gnoel De Abbey, we can begin celebrating as early as we want.