We like Aldi.

Originally a privately owned company started by two brothers that has had global success they now have over 10,000 stores across 20 countries. 

It is a truly an amazing story.

With global expansion from their German base they arrived in Australian in 2001.

Now with over 500 stores nationwide they are renowned for their monthly "Specials" selling every thing from gardening equipment to ski jackets and camping equipment. They are also well known for their small but effective copy cat home brand alcohol, mimicking well known brands like Smirnoff and Boags.

This year (2018) they have released a wine and beer advent calendar into the Australian market. Previously these were only released in Europe, perhaps they were inspire by our Beer Advent Calendars?

Since their announcement in early November we've had some people ask how Beer Cartel's Beer Advent Calendar differs from Aldi’s.

The Big Differences

On a very top line level there are a few key differences.

1. They only have 24 beers, we have 25. You shouldn't miss out on a beer on Christmas Day!

2. Their range is limited to mainstream Lagers and we have over 20 different beer styles included. 

3. They are the cheaper of the two options.

But that is very top line, there's a little more to consider.

Aldi's version is great if you love Lagers but not so much if you are seeking variety and new experiences. (many of their featured beers are big brands like Corona, Heineken and Peroni - sorry for the spoiler alert!).

Aldi vs Beer Cartel Advent Calendar

Here is a complete comparison of the styles included in their pack vs our pack.

(First beer is Aldi, second is ours. Where ours are listed as a "specialty" this means they are either one off exclusive beers never brewed before or a twist on the normal core style listed).

Beer 1: (Heineken) Lager vs Specialty Wheat Ale (one-off exclusive brewed just for our Beer Advent Calendar)

Beer 2: (Stella Artois) Pilsner Lager vs Pale Ale

Beer 3: (Becks) Lager vs Specialty Stout

Beer 4: (Brahma) Lager vs Session IPA

Beer 5: (Carlsberg) Lager vs Specialty Ale (one-off exclusive brewed just for our Beer Advent Calendar)

Beer 6: (Kronenbourg 1664) Lager vs Red Ale

Beer 7: (Pilsner Urquell) Pilsner Lager vs Specialty XPA

Beer 8: (Hoegaarden) Witbier vs Brown Ale

Beer 9: (Krombacher Pils) Pilsner Lager vs California Common

Beer 10: (Krombacher Dark) Schwartzbier vs Specialty XPA (one-off exclusive brewed just for our Beer Advent Calendar)

Beer 11: (Krombacher Weizen) Hefeweizen vs Blonde Ale

Beer 12: (Peroni Red) Lager vs IPA

Beer 13: (Peroni Nastro Azzurro) Lager vs Specialty IPA

Beer 14: (Birra Moretti) Lager vs Specialty Sour Ale (one-off exclusive brewed just for our Beer Advent Calendar)

Beer 15: (Asahi) Lager vs American Wheat Ale

Beer 16: (San Miguel) Lager vs Specialty IPA

Beer 17: (Amstel) Lager vs Session Ale

Beer 18: (Tsingtao) Lager vs Specialty Lager (one-off exclusive brewed just for our Beer Advent Calendar)

Beer 19: (Corona) Lager vs ESB

Beer 20: (Budweiser) Lager vs Summer Ale

Beer 21: (Tiger Lager) vs Specialty IPA (one-off exclusive brewed just for our Beer Advent Calendar)

Beer 22: (NZ Pure) Lager vs Saison

Beer 23: (Miller Genuine Draft) Lager vs Pilsner

Beer 24: (Vonu Pure Lager) Lager vs Double IPA

Beer 25: No Beer! vs Specialty Christmas Beer (one-off exclusive brewed just for our Beer Advent Calendar)

Summary

As you can see Aldi's features by and large all the one style of beer, and all are from large multinational breweries like Corona, Stella, Becks and Henekein. It's likely that a beer drinker would have tried over 70% of the beers included in the Aldi pack, hardly a surprise of new beers for the recipient.

Ours in comparison has over 20 different styles of beer (it’s a massive variety!) and is sourced from small Australian breweries.

Of course with an increase in quality and variety, along side being beers from smaller breweries, there will be a cost difference. We are twice the price but pack in twice the flavour and an unlimited amount of support for Australian breweries!

By all means if you are on a budget or love lagers and want to revisit beers you can access easily grab one of Aldi's packs. In contrast if you are after amazing variety and want to support small Australian independent breweries click here or the image below.