Beechworth brewery Bridge Road Brewers & Friends Craft Beer Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar is back for 2020.

“The advent calendar was the first of its kind in Australia,” said Bridge Road Brewers CEO Donald Mace.

“The idea for the calendars originated after we were asked to do a similar concept for a retailer in Canada in 2014, and we thought a craft beer calendar would be a great idea to celebrate the season and the rise of craft beer in Australia.”

The advent calendar includes 24 different craft beers – 12 are Bridge Road Brewers beers while the rest are from other Australian craft breweries – and comes in a specialised pack which allows customers to try a new beer each day in December until Christmas Eve. 

“We change the beers in the advent calendar every year to reflect the continuous innovation in Australian craft beer,” he said. 

It’s been a tough year for the brewery, as it has for many small businesses in 2020.

“First we had the bushfires in January, and then COVID-19,” Mace said.

“We have picked up some volume in off-premise, but lost a lot in on-premise keg sales. We also have a restaurant attached to our brewery here in Beechworth but because of the restrictions and with barely any tourists coming through it has been difficult.

“Having that said, our advent calendar is definitely a highlight of 2020 and we are excited to see it in stores as it will help end the year on a positive note.” 

The advent calendar has been stocked at Dan Murphy’s for the past five years and has been a sell-out every Christmas.

“Customers love the Bridge Road Brewers advent calendar because it’s a fun way to try a variety of beers and celebrate the season,” said Dan Murphy’s Beer Category Manager Billy Ryan.

“The fact that the beers are hidden and only revealed on the day you open them adds a bit of excitement too,” he said. 

“Although the advent calendar sells out every year, we always aim to have enough stock to get through until the end of November, so customers have them on hand on December 1 when the countdown kicks off.” 

The Bridge Road Brewers advent calendar is exclusively available at Dan Murphy’s for $102.99.

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