Friday 18 December 2009

Festive Beer And Food Matching


Last Christmas my brother and I matched Orkney Blast by Swannay Brewery with our Christmas turkey. It was heaven. This golden ale with moderate bitterness and malty character partnered the roast avian and chipolatas with distinction. Brother and I grinned while sister-in-law, mother and step-father supped their indifferent plonk.

The great thing was, we hadn't planned the pairing. It has become a tradition for us to have multiple beer aperitifs on Christmas day by sampling a selection of beers we've picked up in the preceding weeks (we deserve it, up before dawn to put the sprouts on and slaving in slaving in a hot kitchen all morning). Orkney Blast made it to the table as it was the one that we opened just as everything was ready to serve.

This year we want to repeat the food matching triumph. Going for the same beer again, if we can find it, is much too obvious – what do you recommend?


4 comments:

Rob Sterowski said...

If it was so good, why wouldn't you want to repeat it? Don't be a ticker!

Jeff Pickthall said...

Barm,

If I find some more Orkney Blast I may well do that.

BeerViking Simon said...

The BeerViking crew recently had our annual Christmas Cracker and so can make some suggestions from that(in no particular order):

+ De Dolle Stille Nacth
+ Goose Island Christmas
+ Otley O Ho Ho
+ Sierra Nevada Celebration

Other possibles:
+ Harveys Christmas
+ Thornbridge Bracia
+ Ballards Wassail
+ Dark Star Imperial

Jeff Pickthall said...

Thanks Beer Vikings!

I'm pretty sure all you suggestions apart from SN Celeb are going to be impossible to find for us in the next few days. OK, I know, I should have thought about it sooner.

JP