It's been more than a month since I've talked about MadTree. That's a bit of time for me; a spell I'll end today.

For years, I've yearned for a MadTree Christmas beer. Sure, they put out Thundersnow annually, which is a killer winter warmer that has the spices one might associate with a Christmas beer. They also did Luna Lux, a great white IPA. Yet, neither of these really scratched that Christmas itch for me. Chalk it up to the lack of Christmassy marketing for each brew. 

This year, though, MadTree's finally done it. They've put out an honest to goodness Christmas beer. This is exactly what I've been waiting for from them, and something I'm excited to crack into. Here it is: Holly Days.

Today, we have another one of those beers that I've been hanging onto for a few months. Really, picking this beer up was the catalyst for the blog's Maple Beer Season. See, I had had South Haven Brewpub's Brewberry Pancake before (find it by scrolling to just near the bottom of the linked page). So, when my folks told me there was a bourbon barrel aged variant of it my thoughts ran wild.


The last time Michelle and I (Lottie was there, too!) were at Lake Michigan, we swung into the brewpub and I was able to sample the ale on tap. I was pretty impressed. I bought two bottles--one to enjoy now, during November 2019, and one to squirrel away for later. If you're ready, let's dive into my first bottle of the brew.