Right jolly old July

River City is celebrating the 25th five months early – or maybe seven months late.

The downtown brewery’s Christmas in July party Saturday starting at 3 p.m. will feature eight cellared beers from the past winter, along with all the seasonal trimmings to put patrons in the holiday spirit.

It started when the River City crew was doing inventory and ran across several kegs that had been set aside for a proposed local winter beer festival that never materialized.

“Moose (Sanders), our head brewer, said, I’ve got an idea – let’s do Christmas in July,” says River City’s Emily Schwartz.

“The timing just worked out perfect,” she says. “We’re pretty excited. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The décor will include a Christmas tree, lights, garlands and paper snowflakes. Holiday music will be playing, and seasonal films will screen on the taproom TV.

“You’ve got to play ‘Elf,’ ” Schwartz says.  “You can’t not play ‘Elf’ for Christmas in July.”

Bartenders will be dressed as elves and Santas. Customer costumes (including Santa hats and ugly sweaters) are also encouraged, though not required. Bring a new, boxed toy for Toys For Tots and get a coupon for $2 off a pint (one per person).

The beer selection will feature four stouts, including the imperial, seasonal Midnight Marmot; the Oako-Coco version of that, conditioned over oak chips and cocoa nibs and served on nitro; the regular, straightforward True Stout, and some of that one aged in bourbon barrels with vanilla beans.

There’s also Deep Thaw Winter Warmer; the anniversary Congratulator Doppelbock and its distilled alter ego, the strong, intense Congratulator Eisbock; and a firkin of holiday spiced River City Red.

While there are full kegs of a few of those, most are smaller sixth-barrels. There will be no growler fills of the cellar beers, and customers will be limited to eight ounces each of the bourbon stout and eisbock (you get special tickets for those at the door) – as long as they last, anyway.

“When they’re gone, they’re gone,” Schwartz says.

So don’t be a cotton-headed ninnymuggins – plan to get there early.