TIP OF THE DAY: Christmas Ale & Beer
|
Still looking something special for Christmas?
Whether for your own guests, as Christmas gifts or host/hostess gifts, pick up some Christmas beers. Anchor Christmas Ale and Samuel Adams have good national distribution for their holiday brews, and your regional microbrewer no doubt has a seasonal special ale, beer, porter or stout. Here’s a list of Christmas brews. A Christmas ale is typically rich and dark ale, brewed with special holiday spices and often, a higher alcohol content to ward off the winter chill. However, even wheat beers, the lightest style, get the holiday treatment. Different brewers use cinnamon, clove, coriander, ginger, nutmeg and/or vanilla, and perhaps a touch of honey. Christmas ale makes a holiday beer drinking more special. It’s a welcome holiday gift, stocking stuffer or host gift for beer lovers. |
|
|
 A trio of yeasty treats for Christmas. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE. |
We received an assortment of the Samuel Adams holiday beers, and enjoyed these festive brews:
Cranberry Lambic is a crisp fruit beer that delivers rich cranberry flavor along with notes of banana, clove and nutmeg. While many people enjoy a lambic with dessert, some astringency and tartness makes this beer companionable to any course. It’s perfect with roast turkey. Holiday Porter is a rich, robust, smooth and malty: Four different types of malted barley plus a dash of flaked oats are used in the brew. The deep roasted flavors pair well with hearty or spicy fare. Merry Mischief is a rich, smooth and sweet dark gingerbread stout with the enticing aromas of the holidays. The intensity of cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg evoke the flavor of fresh gingerbread. Although it can be enjoyed with most foods, we especially liked it with gingerbread cookies and carrot cake. |
|
|
White Christmas is a crisp, unfiltered white ale blended with holiday spices: cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel. Citrusy, wheaty and spicy, it pairs well with lighter fair, from salad (add dried cranberries and goat cheese) to dessert (try it with cheesecake or a fruit tart). Winter Lager is a full-bodied, malty, spicy lager with a deep ruby color and a “holiday” aroma of cinnamon and ginger; there’s also a hint of orange peel. The spices and roasty sweetness of the malts pair beautifully with Thai food and other spicy dishes where the chile heat needs to be subdued. Head to your nearest store and stock up. DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER? Browse through our Beer Glossary.
|
||
