I know craft beer/real ale advent calendars exist (as well as this fabulous whisky one) but really, who can't buy and wrap 24 bottles of beer? I'm even giving you my designed tags for free to print off! I always think time is more valuable than cash so this would be appreciated by any beer lover (also works for wine!).



As the craft beer craze goes from strength to strength and the interest in real ale rises, there are a few places in Brighton to buy boutique brands of beer. Most off licences have a small section (my tiny local offie had Brighton Bier, Harveys, Dark Star, Hepworth and Arundel). Plus supermarkets are cashing in on the trend and stocking a bigger selection. Waitrose and Sainsburys have great offers at the moment and stock local breweries and Lidl have a decent range of standard and visiting brands.

Trafalgar Wines
Misleading shop name, they have an amazing selection of beer, I think over 500. I love the no fuss nature and the store owner is so helpful. They have been stocking craft ale waaaaaaaay before it became hip. Not a lumbersexual in sight.

It's here I  purchased the beautiful bottle of Wiper and True Plum Pudding porter which I have selected for the 24th slot. (The label has also been designed by one of my talented design friends too.)

Bison Beer 
Beards and tats and a colourful shop full of trendy niche labels. You can also get a custom designed growler (American beer vessel equal to 1.9L) which would be ace for the 24th.

Harveys Brewery
These guys have been around for 200 years and may not be the coolest but are decent and local. Their shop in Lewes is always worth a visit. And their Christmas Ale is a must at this time of year as well as their porter and stouts. Proper.

Free printable advent calendar tags
Click here to download

But one dish I do like, which is rarely on the menus, is Papas Arrugadas with Mojo sauces. This is regional to the Canary Islands and something I discovered with Mr Graphic Foodie back in the day when we were young, carefree and wrecking our cheap 1ltr white Nissan Micra by driving it off road to Playa de Papagayo. And when we weren't breaching our car hire lease conditions, we were propped up somewhere, ordering these wrinkly potatoes with a salted crust, dipping them in fiery mojo sauces. They really are one of best holiday food memories I have.

And as Alhambra were nice enough to send over a case of their Alhambra Reserva 1925 beer, I thought I'd remember what summer was like (is it EVER going to stop raining?) and recreate that holiday vibe. There are so many variations of mojo sauces but I've stuck to the two classics of spicy red and smoother parsley mojo sauce but you can try avocado or orange based ones too.