Has anyone sampled a notable Christmas brew this year?
Often hit and miss but I had the pleasure of drinking 'Christmas Pudding' by the Coach House Brewing Co. (Cheshire) At the weekend. 4.4%. Great stuff and does taste of Christmas, but not too much.
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It’s beginning to taste a bit like Christmas.
In just over a week I will have landed in Mexico where Negra Modelo is my beer of choice. At this time of year though, there is a seasonal brew available which is called Noche Buena; in a country more well known for piss-poor lagers such as Sol and Corona, the ale is a well kept and most delightful secret.
I'd take a Sol or Corona over a Carling any day of the week
Yes, as lager goes they are probably superior, but as a beverage of choice all lagers are just different vintages of Colchester United squads, ale is typically akin to Brazil.
My top three Christmas ales.
Excellent choices @LDF - here's mine
Delirium gets a bad rep for the tremens, but the nocturnum is amazing, especially the xmas one. I had to down a yard of it in a bar in Brussels once. Can't remember why, but I definitely had to.
Come to think of it, can't remember much else about that night at all.
I'm sure it was imperative that you downed that yard. 😁 I was going to give the Delirium an honourable mention. The ruby's not bad either but yeah, there are tripels that I way prefer to the Tremens. Thanks for the Gouden Carolus tip - looking for it right now!
I realise Belgian beers are the best but are there any top quality British Xmas beers? Can't think of any offhand.
Regular Gouden Carolus is a top ten beer for me anyway. Have you ever tried Rodenbach Gran Cru? It’s almost hard to believe it’s beer it’s so rich and complex, easily my number one (even beating the Westvleteren XII)
Fuller's "Jack Frost"? I'm assuming Rebellion's "Winter Royal" doesn't count as a 'Christmas beer' but it's nice enough!
Idk why, but Leffe always feels very Christmassy to me
Leffe Brune is quite a Christmassy beer.
As a 'special', There's a Leffe Winter... (although I've not tried it)
Chimay Blauw gets my vote - nothing to do with Xmas, just a spectacular beer.
I wouldn't call Leffe an ale, though. I'm no expert, but anything less bitter than an IPA doesn't feel very aley to me.
Wow, did I just become an old man?
I tried the Leffe Winter Ale last year. As I recall I liked it, but can't recall any details.
Haven't really noticed any christmas ales so far this year, but then the only pub I have been to this month doesn't tend to bother with rotating their ales often.
I did get an order from Vault City Brewery, who have produced a lot of beers I have enjoyed. Mostly fruity sours and pastry sours rather than traditional brews. The only christmas themed one is Dark Cherry White Chocolate Yule Log.
Not sure if they brewed it this year but Vocation did a nice christmas pudding influenced imperial stout las year called May Contain Sixpence.
I recall that Farmers Belgian Blue was rather nice the one time I had it.
Leffe certainly is an ale because it's top-fermented. Lagers are bottom-fermented.
Everything by Fullers is first-rate IME. I wish I still lived in a Fullers area and had time to go to pubs.
I had an enormous bottle of Chimay Blue, laid it down for five years and opened it on Christmas day. 🤩
And then had to lay yourself down for five years?
There are plenty of British Christmas beers (do a search) but I can't recommend one as I'm not getting out much at the moment. I wouldn't say Belgian beers are superior, just a different vibe, but they translate better to the bottle than most British beers. It's hard to beat an impeccably well kept draught British ale that tastes so fresh it's as if they've just milked the beer cow.
😁
I've got one about hip height somewhere, unopened nearly 20 years later. I don't think it'll be very good now, however if you do that with a gueuze it'll carry on fermenting in the bottle as I once found out. What a day that was.
I don't think I've had the Gouden or the Rodenbach. I sometimes wish I'd kept a log of all the beers I've drunk but then I remember I'm meant to be a football lad, not a real ale twat. I'm lucky enough to have had a couple of Westvleteren XIIs and I did my best to feel the magic but I have to admit that my favourite quadrupels are Bruges Straffe Hendrik and La Trappe.
I have a Belgian beer obsessed mate so we actually do have a Google spreadsheet for logging and rating them all. We were working our way through a book called 100 Belgian Beers to Try Before You Die. Not sure how one would try a beer after death.
I just put the word Christmas into the untappd app and I have given good ratings to Hoppy Xmas (Brewdog), Cheddleton Christmas Ale (Staffordshire Brewery), Triskele (Moon Gazer) and as previously mentioned Delirium Noel.
I'd take a glass of water over a Carling.
I had a majestic stollen cake porter the other day. Can’t remember who it was by but will do some research.
Farmers Belgian Blue is still good, though not quite what it was. Could just be the competition has improved over the years.
Since the Asahi takeover, Fullers beers have slipped a little from their lofty perch, but still better than many. Used to love finding Honeydew on draught.
By the way, if you’re ever out and about and want to check to see if that local, independent beer you’re about to buy is in fact owned by Heineken and brewed 100s of miles away, this website is very handy: https://www.indiebeer.uk/