NABC believes in Naughty Claus. We don't believe in Black Friday.

NABC will be very busy on Thanksgiving weekend, 2013, though not on the holiday itself. Thanksgiving Day is on Thursday, November 28, and both NABC locations will be closed. On Friday, the beer schedule explodes.

Plaid Friday is on Friday, November 29. At NABC's Pizzeria & Public House, this is the day when Saturnalia Winter Solstice draft fest begins ... and it's the 10th anniversary edition.

Jingle Walk and HolidayFest (Downtown New Albany) takes place during the afternoon on Saturday, November 30. We'll be dispensing samples of Naughty Claus, Tunnel Vision and other NABC favorites on the premises of Keg Liquors.

Later on Saturday evening,  The Nifty $50 Art Show is happening at the Art Store in downtown New Albany. There'll be art, musical entertainment and NABC's Elector and Houndmouth on draft.

Meanwhile, New Albany's favorite band Houndmouth plays Headliners Music Hall in Louisville on the 29th and the 30th (both shows are sold out as of this writing), and by special arrangement, NABC Houndmouth will be available on tap at the venue, which customarily doesn't serve draft beer.

This brings us to 10:00 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, December 1, as Bank Street Brewhouse begins its Sunday Brewhouse Brunch, with our ever-popular build-your-own Bloody Mary Bar, food, and carry-out growlers all day long. Not exactly a nightcap ... although perhaps a brunch-cap after a prolific weekend.

Saturnalia MMXII starters and other petty details.

Saturnalia MMXII already has been previewed. This year's liquid paean to the holiday season's thoroughly pagan origins debuts on Plaid Friday at 11:00 a.m. at the NABC Pizzeria & Public House.

The quick link to the Saturnalia program in .pdf format is here, with two minor corrections: Both Anchor Christmas Ale and Struise Tsjeeses Reserva are the 2011 vintage, not 2012.

NABC's Eric Gray, who has done every bit of this heavy organizational lifting apart from my old-school Microsoft Publisher program composition, offers the starting lineup of draft beers. All of them will be on tap on Friday morning, except Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (already pouring) and NABC Naughty Claus, which begins its seasonal run today (November 21) at both NABC locations.

NABC Naughty Claus
Anchor Christmas 2011
Boulder Never Summer Ale
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2011
Corsendonk Christmas Ale
Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti
Great Divide Hibernation
N'Ice Chouffe
Sierra Nevada Celebration (already on tap)
Troubadour Magma
Two Brothers Hop Juice

Here's the Thanksgiving week schedule.

It is the week of Thanksgiving (where did the year go?), and a burgeoning slate of activities. Following are NABC's choices. Remember that both NABC locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Naughty Claus is coming to New Albany on Thanksgiving week.

Black Friday is out: Indie shopping is in, and Plaid Friday is November 23.

Saturnalia Winter Solstice MMXII at the Pizzeria & Public House begins on Friday, November 23.

Holly Jolly Beer Trolley after Jingle Walk, and a Naughty Claus correction.

Holly Jolly Beer Trolley after Jingle Walk, and a Naughty Claus correction.

It's self-explanatory, and will be running through downtown New Albany following the Jingle Walk on Saturday, November 24.

In a related note, permit me to offer this correction. Previously, I'd previewed the plan for next week and observed that NABC's Naughty Claus is coming to New Albany on Thanksgiving week.

However, earlier today, I noticed the cat was out of the bag, and Naughty Claus is pouring at Feast BBQ, so if you'd like to beat the Thanksgiving rush, just visit Ryan and the crew at Feast.

Naughty Claus is coming to New Albany on Thanksgiving week.

The label and poster for NABC's Naughty Claus are finished. For the first time this year, we'll be releasing Naughty Claus in 22-oz bomber bottles. According to the strange strategy behind seasonal beer releases these days (pumpkin ales began appearing in early August), we're told by wholesalers that it's a rather late release. But to me, it fits the calendar and weather here in New Albany, and this is more important.

Consequently, NABC's Naughty Claus 2012 local release weekend will be November 21 – 24.

Wednesday, November 21
Naughty Claus draft and bomber release, both at the Pizzeria & Public House and Bank Street Brewhouse.

Plaid Friday, November 23
Saturnalia MMXII begins at the Pizzeria & Public House, with Naughty Claus and a full roster of festive seasonal beers. For those just tuning in, Each year NABC pays tribute to the ancient pagan origins of the holiday season with Saturnalia, a collection of themed seasonals on draft at the Pizzeria & Public House.

Saturday, November 24
It's the Jingle Walk in downtown New Albany. There'll be a Naughty Claus sample station (and bomber sales) at Keg Liquors on Pearl Street, and a special day’s program at Bank Street Brewhouse (TBA).

There's a dedicated Facebook page, too: Naughty Claus.

New NABC beers for 22-oz bomber bottling in 2012.

As a preface, permit me to note that these beers are as yet on the drawing board. Labels must be created and approved, and the beers brewed, but we've no reason to believe these bomber releases will not occur as scheduled.

Hoosier Daddy (March release)
The most heroic word in all languages is revolution
Cream and crimson? Hoosier daddy? Is it Eugene Debs, or Bob Knight? David Letterman, or John Mellencamp? NABC unambiguously salutes all Hoosier daddies, wherever they are, whatever they do, and whomsoever they do it for, or to.
7% abv

Black & Blue Grass Saison (April release)
You can’t drink Black Grass in striped pants
Wallonian-style farmhouse ale, brewed with lemongrass and black pepper.
Circa 6% abv, perhaps higher as reformulated

Le Diable Blonde (May release)
Here comes the woman with the look in her eye
Patience is the key and virtue is the lesson from this malt bomb devil of a Belgian-style Tripel.
10.7% abv

Naughty Claus (November/Thanksgiving release)
Santa needs daze off, too
A rich, full-bodied holiday spiced ale. Unveiled for Saturnalia, NABC’s annual observance of Christmas’s pagan roots. We’ll be sticking to the 2011 formula in years to come.
7.5% abv

Naughty Claus 2011 is on tap now at both NABC locations.

Naughty Claus 2011

Santa needs daze off, too

A rich, full-bodied holiday spiced seasonal that changes wardrobe a bit each year as we experiment with festive additives. Usually unveiled for Saturnalia, NABC’s annual observance of Christmas’s pagan roots.

Malts: US Pale Ale Malt (Rahr), Belgian Aromatic Malt,
Simpsons Crystal Medium

Sugar: Hosey Honey … http://hoseyhoney.com

Hops: German Hallertauer Magnum

Spices: Orange Peel, Sweet Ginger Root, Cinnamon, Nutmeg (dry-gingered in the Brite tanks)

Yeast: Chouffe (House Belgian)

OG: 19 degrees Plato
ABV: 8%
IBU: 20

"A New Albanian/Germantown Christmas" this Tuesday, December 15.

For further details, visit the Facebook event page for "A New Albanian/Germantown Christmas," coming this Tuesday, December 15.

NABC seasonal brews: Bonfire of the Valkyries, Naughty Claus & Solidarity.

Each year during Saturnalia, which is NABC’s draft beer festival and a leering bow to the pagan roots of the holidays, we release two of our own creations: Bonfire of the Valkyries (Smoked Black Lager) and Naughty Claus (Spiced Ale). This year, there’s a bonus selection made possible by the additional brewing capacity downtown: Solidarity (Baltic Porter).

Saturnalia begins on Friday, December 4, so here’s an update on NABC’s listed contributions.

Solidarity, which might be considered a Saturnalia pre-release, is on tap now. It was ready to drink, and we saw no sense in holding it.

Bonfire will be ready for pouring in about three weeks, just before Christmas. Naughty Claus has undergone its yearly recipe modification (see below), and will be released around the 10th of December.

The 2009 batches of Bonfire and Naughty Claus were brewed by Jared Williamson at the Garage Brewery (Pizzeria & Public House).

Meanwhile, David Pierce honed the original Michael Borchers formulation of Solidarity, which also was previously brewed by Jared and Jesse Williams, and he joined with Jesse in putting a batch through the new Bank Street system.

I sampled Solidarity last week as accompaniment to Chef Josh Lehman’s Pastrami sandwich, and the combo is dynamite.

Here are the specs:

Bonfire of the Valkyries 09
Burning away the hours 'til Ragnarok
Although it’s probably there somewhere in the German brewing playbook, we couldn’t find the rule prohibiting the crossing of Black Lager with Smoked Lager, so we brew Bonfire each year in autumn and let it age until release during Saturnalia, just before Christmas.

Malts: Weyermann Rauch Malz, Simpsons Black, Castle Aromatic, Castle Special B

Hops: Magnum (Bitter, Flavor, Aroma)

Yeast: Garage Brewery Frisco Lager

ABV: 7.2%

IBU: 10

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Naughty Claus 09
Santa needs daze off, too
A rich, full-bodied holiday spiced seasonal that changes wardrobe a bit each year as we experiment with festive additives.

Malts: Simpsons Golden Promise, Rahr 2-row, Weyermanns Vienna, Castle, Biscuit, Castle Aromatic

Adjuncts: Belgian Candi Sugar (Dark), Molasses

Hops: Summit

Spices: Fresh Ginger Root, Cinnamon Sticks, Rose Hips

Yeast: Bank Street London

OG: 1074

ABV: 7%

IBU: 9

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Solidarity
Solidarity or Death
In the 1080’s, the Solidarity trade union movement in Poland sought and achieved an end to the official Communist Party’s hegemony over the workers’ movement. We tip our hats to the activists with Solidarity, a robust reminder of Baltic foresight in activism and strong beer.

Malts: Simpson Golden Promise, Special Pale, Simpson Aromatic, CaraPils, Simpson Dark Crystal, Simpson Chocolate, Simpson Black

Hops: German Perle, two additions (one at each end of the boil)

Yeast: Garage Brewery Frisco Lager

Color: 26 degree SRM (or, almost black)

ABV: 8.5%

IBU: 18