Ottawa brewers team up to offer beer advent calendar

A dozen Ottawa breweries have banded together to create the region’s first holiday beer advent calendar that promises to be filled with the best suds the nation’s capital has to offer.

The idea, spearheaded by Nita Brewing Co., will bring together 12 breweries from across the city who will group 24 473-mL beers into a special package that will be hand-delivered to recipients in November.

The package, which will resemble a calendar running from Dec. 1-24, will prompt the recipient to one beer a day up to Dec. 24.

“We wanted to celebrate the collaborative nature of breweries in Ottawa by putting together this offering to bring more awareness to the Ottawa area craft beer scene. We have a lot of great beer in Ottawa.” said Andy Nita, owner of Nita Beer Company.

“This is going to be a ton of work to get the logistics to work properly,but the 12 brewers are in for the challenge.”

Brewers who will be involved include: Nita, Whitewater Brewing Company, Brasserie Tuque de Broue, Kichesippi Beer, Covered Bridge Brewing, Crooked Mile Brewing, Vimy Brewing, Cartwright Springs, Broadhead Brewing, Stray Dog Brewing, Whiprsnapr Brewing and the Clocktower Brew Pub.

The beers included in the calendar will remain a surprise until they’re opened by recipients. However, Nita promises plenty of variety.

Sales are open to all residents of Ontario. Nita Beer Company has received a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to allow it to canvass for and receive orders on behalf of other breweries. Orders must be shipped to a home or business address.

Sales of the beer calendar began Monday. The calendar can be ordered online at Nita’s website. The calendar costs $110, plus taxes.