Copper Kettle | 12 Beers of Christmas

Scott Grossman
On December 11, 2024

Continuing a beloved 11-year tradition, Denver’s Copper Kettle Brewing will begin tapping its 12 Beers of Christmas on December 13. In homage to the well-known Christmas song, Copper Kettle releases one beer a day in the countdown to the holiday. The daily beers are small-batch, unique brews not featured on the brewery’s regular taplist.

Planning Starts Early

Owner Jeremy Gobien and his team start strategizing in early fall due to the complexity of dropping 12 releases essentially simultaneously.

“It’s a lot of work to produce this many small batches for such a brief release window but it’s become a tradition our customers look forward to each Christmas holiday season,” Gobien says.

Typically you’ll find Copper Kettle’s taproom packed in the days leading up to Christmas, as regulars and newbies stop in to get each day’s creative release.

Jeremy Gobien co-owner of Copper Kettle Brewing — Jeremy Gobien, co-owner of Copper Kettle Brewing (photo by Copper Kettle Brewing)

Often the tastiest brews kick before the night is through.

“Most of these releases are very small production, usually only one or two kegs so we expect most of these beers will not be available beyond the initial release day,” says Gobien.

Given the fleeting nature of the brews, many customers plan their holiday schedule around the release dates, either to try them all or to get the special brew they’re drooling for.

Highlighting Strengths, Pushing Boundaries

Gobien views Copper Kettle’s 12 Beers of Christmas as an opportunity to highlight the brewery’s core strengths while having some fun with new styles and adjunct experiments.

“We think it’s possible to pay homage to the traditional beers of the past and make excellent quality examples of them while also having fun with adding dozens or even hundreds of different flavors to beers over the many years we have been pushing these boundaries,” Gobien says.

This year’s list leans heavily on adjuncts, and—as usual—tilts toward darker, full-bodied and high-ABV offerings. Naturally these pair well with the cold, dark days of the winter solstice as well as the festive holiday atmosphere.