Unleash your inner pagan at Saturnalia MMVI, a winter solstice draft fest at NABC.

BONA SATURNALIA! COME UNLEASH YOUR INNER PAGAN AS WE PRESENT “SATURNALIA MMVI,” A WINTER SOLSTICE DRAFT BEER FESTIVAL BEGINNING DECEMBER 15.

In pre-Christian Rome, Saturnalia was the annual winter solstice celebration that originally coincided with the feast days for Saturn (god of sowing and the harvest), Consus (god of the storage bin) and Opa (goddess of plenty).

Many of our contemporary winter holiday traditions derive from Saturnalia’s pagan roots, including the hanging of wreaths and garlands, donations to the needy, prayers for peace on earth, time away from work to be enjoyed with family, and of course eating, drinking and merriment.

On Friday, December 15, Rich O’s Public House and Sportstime Pizza pays tribute to these ancient pagan origins with the kick-off of Saturnalia, a draft beer festival scheduled to last past Christmas and New Year’s into January of 2007.

For NABC’s third Saturnalia celebration, I’ve gathered more than 40 special kegs of beer – some rare, some seasonal and others just innately festive – from America and around the world (see complete list below). Some of these hard-to-find beers will be appearing in draft form for the first time ever in metropolitan Louisville.

When the doors open at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, December 15, the first 17 sacrificial Saturnalia selections for MMVI will be revealed, tapped in a ritualistic manner … and the hedonistic pleasure will begin. The remaining kegs will be tapped as needed as the first wave depletes … and so it will proceed past New Year’s into January, 2007.

THE BEERS.

Pricing and portion sizes vary according to alcohol content and style. Selections marked with an asterisk * are appearing on draft for the first time at Rich O’s Public House and Sportstime Pizza. There will more than 40 draft beers in all, with 17 to be tapped on December 15, and the remaining ones following in due course as openings occur. This will take several weeks. During the festival’s run, information and updates will appear on these web sites:

Publicanista!
Potable Curmudgeon
NABC (under reconstruction)

Veterans observers of the process involved with procurement will recall that none of my festival draft lists are the same from beginning to end. The large number of trap doors waiting to be sprung, carpets ready to be pulled out from under and curves queuing to be thrown guarantees that 100% success is absolutely impossible. But ... the dust finally has settled for the most part.

Here is the entire list. Friday's starting lineup isn't yet clear.

BELGIUM
Corsendonk Christmas Ale
De Dolle Stille Nacht
Delirium Noel
Gouden Carolus Noel
N'Ice Chouffe
*Petrus Winter Ale
St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel
Regenboog Wostyntje Mustard Ale

FRANCE
*Jenlain Biere de Noel

GERMANY
Aventinus Weizen Doppelbock
Mahr’s Christmas Bock
Spezial Rauchbier

JAPAN
Kiuchi Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale 2006
Kiuchi Hitachino Nest Red Rice

UNITED KINGDOM
Hambleton Nightmare Yorkshire Porter
Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
Ridgeway Lump of Coal
Ridgeway Seriously Bad Elf
Ridgeway Santa’s Butt
Young's Winter Warmer

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Anchor Christmas Ale (“Merry Christmas & Happy New Year”)
BBC Beer Company (Main & Clay) Hell for Certain
*Bell’s Hell Hath No Fury
*Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout
Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout
Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser
Great Divide Hibernation Ale
NABC Artemsia (mugwort/gruit ale; cask-conditioned; date TBA)
*NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries
*NABC Naughty Claus
NABC Strathpeffer (heather/gruit ale; cask-conditioned; date TBA)
New Holland Blue Goat Doppelbock
New Holland Dragon’s Milk
Oaken Barrel Epiphany
Pyramid Snow Cap
Rogue Chocolate Stout
Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar
Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve
*Schlafly Christmas Ale
*Shmaltz He’Brew Monumental Jewbelation 5766
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Stone Double Bastard
Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter
Three Floyds Dreadnaught IPA
Upland Winter Warmer