Want to know more about the seasonal history of beer, and what to drink and when? Buy the book here (UK & international): shop1.camra.org.uk/product/a-year-in-beer-a-beer-lovers-guide-to-the-seasons/
Any chance that there is another shop where I dont pay the same amount for shipping (to switzerland) as for the book itself🙃? Keep up the great vids, I have been hooked for about a year now, always looking forward to your new videos💞
For the southern hemisphere Christmas beer is likely an ice cold macro lager, and probably a carona with lime as we eat prawns anything else that doesn't remind us of how hot it is! For us we have winter ales instead although we also have Christmas in July so we get it twice! 🍻
After generally overlooking them as 'novelty' beers, I tried McChouffe and the De Ranke and St. Bernardus Christmas beers in recent weeks and I was very pleased! They're definitely going to be a feature of future Christmases.
Stumbled upon your channel and as a South African I must say, your logo looks so similar to the Cape Brewing Company. Great content though, keep it up!
Well done! Love the Norway history. I just had the St. Bernardus Christmas at our Belgian cafe last weekend. Lovely, but I prefer their Abt 12 for the holidays. It may be difficult to find in the UK, but the Anchor Christmas Ale is my absolute favorite of the style. It has all of the winter flavors you discuss, but is not high ABV compared to the typical offerings. As sessionable as a Christmas ale gets, but still has full complex flavors without being overstated. Precise, restrained and still bold.
If you really want to try the "Christmas" beer from Chouffe, try the - N’ice CHOUFFE... You won't regret it and it sure is one of my favorites during this season. Awesome episode 🍻🥳
Awesome video, I’ll have to give these a try! One of my favorite Christmas-time beers is actually a cranberry wheat ale. Love the style and it’s real easy drinkin’.
Great video! You should do a review of American Trappists like "Spencer Trappist" and see how their process/ traditions align to the original trappist and rate them. Would be cool
Great video. I love fall and winter beers. I live near the only trappist brewery in thr united states. They make a great holiday. Its a dubbel with xmass spice
Alright! I finally get what Christmas beer is in a more anglosphere context then, I suppose. Anything that ties into rich Belgian ale a good time in my opinion. In Sweden (and perhaps the rest of the nordics), Christmas beer is quite simply dark lager. All the large brewery brands are various flavors of light lager, and come Christmas they all put out a dark Christmas variant. It’s a good time for me, as I really like a dark malty lager.
For my personal choice around Christmas it's got to be a dark Belgian in the 9-11% range, once they get over 12% they get too syrupy for me, Bush de Noël for example is too much. Next I want some sort of spiced/rye/cinnamon porter, that Brew York Christmas beer, well the 2020 one, I just remember being a coffee stout which isn't Christmassy to me.
I do love a Xmas beer but this year i've invested in a couple of Founder's Canadian Breakfast stouts (2019), expensive but definitely going to be worth it, I had one gifted to me for my birthday last month and it was glorious!!
I'll be getting in plenty of St. Bernadus. I'm not big on Belgian beers but I absolutely love their Christmas Ale. I've also spotted a nice looking local Winter Warmer, and Hook Norton's new Greedy Goose is INCREDIBLE on cask. 🍻
Preaching for my choir here - if you can get beers from eastern Canada, get the "Réserve de Noël" from Les Trois Mousquetaires brewery. Literally Christmas in a glass. Gingerbread, fruitcake, evergreen smell at 10,5%. It's a wonder! Better yet, age it 3 years. Delighftul
Interesting question. It might begin with harvest ales/October beers - historical beers made every harvest with the new season's hops and malts. Usually VERY strong (up to 14%) and aged for at least a year.
Christmas alse in germany are completely different. Usually a lager or a zwickl, only slichtly stronger as the base beer, similar to the Octoberfest beers. In Belgium, the christmas ale market has completely exploded in the last 10 years. Many years there was Speciale Palm, Gordon Christmas and Stille nacht (Dolle Brouwers) Gordon Christmas is still my favourite and indeed is a scotch ale.
In Germany a Festbier ( festival beer?) is produced for easter or christmas, sometimes als for nonchristian events ( Münchner Oktoberfest or Stuttgarter Volksfest). This are mostly ,Märzenbeers' , a stronger version of german beer types ,Hell' or ,Export' , mostly 5,5 to 6% Alc., rarer 6,1 to 6,4%. Over 6,5% it is ,Bockbier' ( Beertype invented in Einbeck town).
I have a hard time clueing into the herbalness of Christmas ales. Just had Gouden Carolus Noël over the weekend, but it was not really my cup of tea. But I just bought Delirium Noël, because pink elephants in christmas hats, am I right?
Had this beer couple weeks ago and i got to say its AMZING GREAT FLAVOR bought it at TRADER JOES those that are in the U.S.A really RECOMMEND cheers ! 🍺🍺🍺
I didnt forget it! We have had it in many videos as it is my favourite. But it is such a unique beer I didnt think it really fits with the wider narrative
Christmas beer was invented when marketers dreamt up romantic stories about poorly, brewed, homemade beer. Christmas beer was originally produced during Prohibition, and the ingredients came from a market. Across the aisle from the baker's malt, and baker's yeast in the market was the herbs and spices that were added for flavoring the beer because hops were difficult to obtain. When Christmas beer is produced from single temperature infusion, the beer is American, home brew style, Christmas moonshiners beer, with a good story behind it, and some recipes.
how about a christmas beer alignment chart where the x-axis is "its a sweet dark strong beer -> any dark ales are ok -> anything goes" and the y-axis is "its just beer -> it can have christmas related spices in -> anything goes". historical traditionalists go in the top left - scotch ale, rebels in the bottom right - raspberry sour. in the middle is true neutral - dark beers with christmas spices
Wait Jonny... What do you mean by Back to the Future Part II is the best one? It's the ugly duckling of the trilogy.. Sorry had to say it. :) Great video, and loving the book! Cheers!
An enjoyable romp thanks. But I felt you missed out a whole chunk of info, viz a viz UK Winter Ales. In the late 70's I was introduced to Youngs Winter Warmer (wow) and I soon realised that most (all) breweries produced a winter warmer of some type. I always hunted these down with relish come November. Gales was a particular favourite of mine. At some point in the past 20 years, winter brews seem to have morphed into Xmas Ales noted by the cliched Xmas label. I do feel that a review of the winter output of traditional regional brewers is long overdue. For me, I already have a case of Sam Smith's Winter Welcome waiting to be opened on Xmas Day :) Keep up the great work.
