Christmas break for me consists of family and friends with lots of food and drink.
Christmas lunch isn’t really a traditional sit down meal in our house, sometimes it’s a seafood bbq, other years it’s a lamb roast, one year we even had hotdogs! (That’s what you get when you leave it to your 8 and 6 year old kids to pick what we’re having for Christmas lunch.)
What is constant is good beer. I don’t tend to overdo it on Christmas day, after all, for the past sixteen years I’ve been the one building or fixing the kids toys all afternoon, so the chance to have more than a few beers can be a little limited. What I do consume though, is good quality and flavoursome.
As we have people coming and going all day, I fill the esky with a variety of brews, some more flavoursome than others, and always a few Mild Ales for the designated driver.
I like to be able to offer my guests something nice to drink, mostly it’ll be a summer ale, or something lighter on the palate. This year it will most likely be Brooklyn Lager cans and Holgate’s Norton Lager (watch out next month for review on this one)
Then there are the beers that don’t make the esky.
These are the beers that are for the special guests, the ones who appreciate something a little different (and usually don’t come in arms swinging.)
“Christmas” beers are a favourite of mine for this purpose, although here in Australia, they can be more suited to the middle of winter, as they tend to be big malty and spicy reminiscent of a liquid Chrissy pudding and certainly complement that style of dessert. Others have a big malt background, but are more like a hoppy amber Ale which will suit most traditional Christmas fare.
Here are a couple of cracking beers that should be on your Santa’s wish list this year.
Cheers and Ho, ho, ho!
Bridge Road Brewers (Beechworth, Vic.)
Fat Man, Red Suit, Big Sack.
7.5%abv
$29.99 per 6 x 330ml bottle.
This red IPA pours a beautiful reddish brown and has an off white tight bubbled head. The aroma is earthy, with a hint of pine and some citrus.
The mouthfeel is medium to full with a nice sweet malty flavour up front, giving way to a moderate bitterness. At 7.5%abv you would need to watch out for this one as the alcohol is well hidden. It mimics the aroma with citrus and pine needle hop characters from the addition of Galaxy, Enigma and Topaz. This is a very smooth beer, which leaves you with a lingering bitterness.
This would be a welcome addition to any Christmas table.
Food Match: Roast meats and even Christmas pudding.
Blackheart Brewery (Brighton, Vic.)
Christmas Ale 2015 Vintage
7.4%abv
$11.99 per 500ml bottle.
The first appearance of this festive cheer is its dark colour and brownish head. Holding it up to the light it is an awesome ruby red. It smells like the makings of a Christmas pudding, with plums, raisins, and spice on the nose. I was expecting something a little fuller in the mouth, but still this wasn’t a disappointment, its medium body lent itself to be easier drinking. Letting this one warm up slightly released more flavours and aromas of spice and raisins, as well as letting you know that it’s higher in alcohol, with its mouth warming effects. This is a nice interpretation of the style, and is one to share with a friend, partner or neighbour, perhaps after dessert whilst the taste of brandy custard still lingers in your mouth.
Food Match: Christmas pudding with brandy custard and cream
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