This British Brewer Is Using Reindeer to Deliver Beer

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of holiday travel?

Endless lines of eggnog-and-vomit drenched drunks at your local airport? That oh-so-iconic scene from that 1998 classic Jack Frost, in which a harmonica wielding Michael Keaton dies a bloody death thanks to an inexplicable lack of snow tires? Or are you thinking about a snowmobile race between the Michelin Man and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?

A brewery in England has a better idea: How about some majestic-ass reindeer, elegantly traversing a pristine winterscape with a fuckload of fine beer in tow?

The people at Box Steam Brewery, a family-run independent brewer located just outside Bath, England, are going full-on Santa this holiday season. The brewery is ditching conventional modes of transport in favor of a traditional sled and two reindeer, respectively named Comet and Cupid, and using it to deliver beer to local pubs.

On a post to the 11 year-old brewery's Facebook page, Tony Lockyear—the brewery's lead drayman—wrote, "We're lowering our carbon hoofprint this Christmas." Normally, we wouldn't condone such a blatant display of reindeer games, but Lockyear seems to actually be pretty damn serious about transporting Box Steam's beer throughout all of Wiltshire in the most awesome way possible.

We're lowering our carbon hoofprint this Christmas. https://t.co/ZpVlLOT9O1

— Box Steam Brewery (@BoxBrew) December 16, 2015

Just this Tuesday, Lockyear loaded up an ol' timey sleigh with casks of English bitter-style Tunnel Vision and headed over to The Cross Guns, a pub that the brewers own in Avoncliff, to complete the maiden voyage.

Naturally, he dressed the part, donning a Father Christmas hat. The brewery's wagon was strung with fairy lights. But don't think this is just another commercial Christmas gimmick. Instead, the brewers say they are intent on keeping things local and conserving energy, all while celebrating the season.

The managing director of the brewery, Andy Roberts, said: "We use an energy-efficient steam kettle to produce our ales, so this draydeer-powered service is really just an extension of our commitment to maintaining a low carbon footprint."

The Roberts family decided to purchase a brewery outside Bath in the mid 00s; they say they wanted to resurrect the feeling of a brewery that stood at that location a hundred years prior. Now they supply hundreds of pubs and bars in the Southwest of England, including the two pubs the family owns. Andy Roberts says, "Small breweries like ours are meeting the public demand for authentic, well-crafted ales with personality—locals want local at their local."

But they don't necessarily want to keep things that local. Roberts adds, "We'd be delighted to export to the North Pole, and we can lend a helping hand if there happened to be any large-scale gift distribution businesses in that region experiencing a seasonal rush."

Beer delivered by reindeer? Sounds like regular old Santa Claus needs to get his Krampus on and step shit up a notch.