Based out of Brooklyn, NY and founded by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø in 2010, Evil Twin is one of the more famous gypsy brewers on the market. Gypsy meaning that they don’t actually have their own brewery, rather they contract with other breweries to produce their beers. The most famous originator of gypsy brewing is probably Mikkeller, a brewery based out of Copenhagen, Denmark and also the brain child of Jeppe’s twin brother Mikkel Borg Bjergsø. Mikkeller started commercially brewing back in 2006, followed by Evil Twin a few years later. Jeppe and Mikkel are sort of known in the industry as having a feuding/competitive relationship, hence the name Evil Twin. Both brothers save on overhead by not having a brewery of their own. Plus, their beers are more accessible because they are brewed around the world. I find Evil Twin’s labels to be a bit cheesy, yet kind of amazing, especially because they back up the cheesiness with really great beer. It’s like if Urban Outfitters and CB2 birthed a beer, they’d have Evil Twin Brewing. Particularly with beers on their roster such as Hipster Ale, Wet Dream, and of course, Ryan and the Gosling. The overall branding of the brewery is distinct, which is all you can ask for in this saturated market.
Although not a traditional “holiday” ale, Christmas Eve at a NYC Hotel Room is a great beer for the holidays. A wonderfully thick imperial stout full of chocolate and coffee notes, this 10% ABV beer perfectly encompasses the holiday season. After a full day of shopping, sometimes you just need a beer that you can pour and let sit for a bit while you queue up Elf and slowly sip throughout the movie.