For Christmas of 2015, my wife bought me a really cool present: BeerAdvent Calendar 2015 from Kalea. In truth, my wife got me a lot of nice presents (she’s the best wife ever), but the nice thing about the Beer Advent Calendar is you get it early. You have to, since it’s comprised of 24 different imported German beers in a box with little doors that you open, one per day from December 1^st through December 24^th. All of the beers are listed on the side of the carton, however, so be careful not to look and spoil the daily surprises!

I love German beer more than beer from any other country on Earth, so this was definitely right up my alley. My one criticism of the calendar is there are not enough bocks and doppelbocks (not fair!), but otherwise it’s just an amazing way to sample 24 German beers I’ve never seen before. I get mine at Costco here in Georgia and pay on average $59.95 for the box. That might sound steep, but when you distribute that price over 24 different half liter cans, it only works out to $2.50 per can. Not a bad deal at all looked at that way.

Except that this year, the calendars were a bit more expensive. I found them at Costco earlier than I ever had before, in the first week of September. The prices had gone up by $10, and I shelled out $69.95 for the 2022 edition. That did not phase me in the least, first of all because just about everything has gotten more expensive this year. Then too, the calendars really have not had a price increase in the 7 years I have been buying them (this is my 8th calendar). This year's price of $2.92 per can is still a bargain for beers from small German brewers I might never otherwise get to enjoy.

On December 7th, I opened the Day Seven door and beheld a can of Landgang Helle Aufregung. This is the second beer I would experience from Hamburg's Landgang craft brewery, after the Landgang Pils I first enjoyed in 2020. Landgang describes their operation as follows:

Wir lieben gutes Bier und glauben, dass das Leben zu kurz ist um schlechtes Bier zu trinken. Überzeugt Euch selbst und besucht unsere Brauerei!

Wir sind eine Craft Bier Brauerei in Hamburg. Bei uns könnt ihr in unserem Brauereiausschank zehn Biere vom Fass probieren, Brauereibesichtigungen mitmachen, an Braukursen teilnehmen und Tastings buchen.

Which means in English:

We live good beer and believe, that life is too short to drink bad beer. See for yourself and visit our brewery.

We are a craft beer brewery in Hamburg. With us at our brewery bar you can try 10 draft beers, take brewery tours, and take par tin brew courses and book tastings.

Of Helle Aufregung in particular they say:

Unsere Helle Aufregung ist ein tschechisch inspiriertes Lagerbier. Würzig und geschmackvoll durch seine Hopfennoten bleibt es frisch und süffig im Abgang. Ideal für Craft Bier Einsteiger und solche, die ein Bier für jeden Anlass suchen.

Which translates to:

Our Helle Aufregung is a Czech-inspired lager. Spicy and tasty due to its hoppy notes, it remains fresh and drinkable in the finish. Ideal for craft beer beginners and those looking for a beer for every occasion.

Landgang Helle Aufregung means bright or pale excitement. It is of course a Munich Helles, fused with a spicy Czech Pale Lager in style. It is the 2nd Munich Helles so far in the 2022 calendar, and that style is far and away the most represented over the years in these calendars as seen below.

Dortmunder 7 4%
Munich Helles 39 23%
Oktoberfest 29 17%
Munich Dunkles 11 6%
Hefeweizen 11 6%
Dunkelweizen 11 6%
Zwickl/Kellerbier 10 6%
Kristalweizen 3 2%
Pilsner 17 10%
Bock 1 1%
IPA 5 3%
Doppelbock 5 3%
Maibock 3 2%
Pale Ale 6 3%
Weizenbock 3 2%
Vienna Lager 3 2%
Imperial Pilsner 3 2%
Steinbier 1 1%
Stout 3 2%
Rauchbier 3 2%
 

Landgang Helle Aufregung has an alcohol content of 4.5% by volume with 25 IBUs. My can is stamped EXP 2024/03. Hops are listed as Hallertauer Cascade, Saazer, Sladek. I drank it on Christmas Day, 2022.

Landgang Helle Aufregung pours to a brilliant golden color with a fluffy white head and a fresh bready malt nose. Taking a sip, the beer screams fresh bread and crisp biscuit malt. The freshness here is amazing, like chewing a handful of biscuit malt. A grassy, gently bitter finish rounds the beer out nicely and represents the Czech influence well. It also makes the beer moreish and quitehard to drink it slowly.

I’m greatly enjoying my 8th annual Beer Advent Calendar with the day 7 beer. Here’s looking forward to the remaining 17, and another assortment of 24 in 2023. We’ll be on the lookout next year at Costco, and following the beers on their Facebook page.

The beers of the 2022 Beer Advent Calendar:

Day 1  Schnitzlbaumer Lagerbier Hell

Day 2 Kuchlbauer Turmweisse

Day 3 Fürst Carl Pils Unfiltered

Day 4   Kurpfalz Bräu Kellerbier

Day 5 Schwarze Tinte Collab Stout

Day 6 Graminger Deife

Day 7 Landgang Helle Aufregung