Instead of sparkling: how to choose beer for the New Year's table
Pouring champagne at the chimes is certainly a tradition, but if sparkling wines are not your story, you can find a worthy alternative. Good beer will look just as festive in glasses, and with the right choice — will also make a harmonious pair with your favorite dishes. We tell you how to choose beer for the New Year’s table to make the holiday a real success.
Olivier
This salad is a must in any house, even if there are exquisite appetizers around. All families prepare Olivier in different ways — for example, add chicken instead of sausage or green apple. But one thing remains the same — mayonnaise, which gives the salad a recognizable taste and texture.
It is no coincidence that Olivier is drunk with champagne — the acidity of sparkling wine balances the aftertaste of mayonnaise. Therefore, the main salad of the New Year’s table should be chosen from the same considerations. Beer varieties with soft malt notes — lagers, wheat varieties with a pronounced «bread» flavor — are best suited. On the contrary, strongly hopped beer is not suitable for olivier — its bitterness will only intensify the oily flavor.
Herring under a fur coat
Another famous New Year’s salad, which seems to have always been with us, but in fact appeared on the tables of the inhabitants of the USSR only in the sixties. Its emergence and further popularity is connected with the availability of the main ingredient — Baltic herring. And where there is herring, there is vodka, so many people still prefer to wash down the salad with it. And they do it wrong: forty degrees of vodka wipes out the whole flavor bouquet of the dish.
It is better to serve herring under a fur coat with beer — IPA or stoned lager. A beer with a pronounced bitterness will help to balance the flavor of the salad, make you feel all its layers, and then combine them together, leaving a pleasant aftertaste.
Red caviar sandwiches
The ideal combination for caviar is champagne or sweet wines with high acidity, which complement its flavor and texture well. True, we are talking about caviar in its pure form, because in combination with bread it changes, becoming both sweet and salty at the same time.
That’s why we recommend to serve beer with caviar sandwiches this New Year’s Eve — and compare the sensations. Choose light Belgian ale — you won’t go wrong.
Tangerines
Favorite winter citrus have a pronounced sweetness and high acidity. Therefore, it is better to pair them with «heavy» beer without pronounced bitterness.
Belgian golden ale will help to emphasize the bright acidity of the fruit without interrupting its flavor. If you want something more original, try Belgian Quadrupel: you will get a familiar combination of citrus and chocolate.
And if you don’t have time to think about it, choose any light lager or pilsner — fresh sorts of beer will help unobtrusively shade the taste of tangerines and balance its sweetness.
Want more interesting combinations of beer with your favorite dishes? Come to any Lambic beer restaurant — we will advise you on varieties, choose the perfect gastronomic pairing and share the New Year mood with you!
That's the base: what kind of beer the zoomers drink and what Kraft has to do with it
What is cringe to some is Spanish shame to others. With the beginning of a new era, not only language changes — fashion, interests and, of course, tastes change. Including beer. We wondered what kind of beer people of different generations prefer, whether the fashion for craft beer among millennials is still alive, and what the Zoomers like. Who likes what kind of beer It turns out that the theory of generations, which was proposed by Americans William Strauss and Neil Howe, works in the field of food. The year of birth directly affects what food, drinks and lifestyle a person chooses. The following picture emerges for beer: — Generation X — those born between 1965 and 1979 — are beer traditionalists who choose the classics that have been tried and tested over the years, both imported and domestic; — Millennials — children of the eighties and early nineties — drink mostly imported beers, and craft — still; — Zoomers — born after 1996 — are more health-oriented, so they don’t drink much beer. But if they do drink beer, they drink trendy drinks — fruit and tomato varieties, as well as beer smoothies. What’s on trend The beer industry has seen several consistent trends in recent years, and these trends are expected to be with us into 2025. Let’s take a closer look at what beer lovers can expect in the new year. First of all, imported beer will return to us. After sanctions were imposed, some brands left the market, and the share of foreign beer decreased to 7% of the total volume. Now imported beer is experiencing a new wave of popularity in our country, the former demand for it is returning, which means that there is hope for the appearance of familiar labels in stores. Non-alcoholic beer is still in fashion, and the reason for this is the fashion for a healthy lifestyle. Significant funds have been poured into advertising of beer without degrees, even Olympic champions support popular brands of non-alcoholic beer. According to statistics, sales of non-alcoholic beer have increased by more than 20% in the past year, and this is probably just the beginning. And, of course, unusual flavors were and still are in trend. Craft breweries are still at the top of their game — vegetable, tomato and mushroom gose, unusual fruit and berry drinks, and «soupy» flavors like tom yam are at the peak of popularity. No matter how old you are or what kind of beer you prefer, there’s sure to be a drink you’ll love at Lambic. And also in our beer restaurants — a wide choice of dishes, quality service and always cozy atmosphere. We are waiting for you!
20 December 2024
Holiday with Christmas beer flavor: we tell you what is Christmas beer
New Year’s Eve is associated with bubbles of sparkling wine, the cold season in general — with warming mulled wine, and Christmas, especially in the countries of the victorious foam — with the taste of Christmas beer. Not everyone in Russia knows about this Western tradition, and not everyone has tasted real Christmas beer. We fill the offensive gap and tell you what Christmas beer is, how to drink it and what to combine it with. A bit of history Christmas beer appeared in pre-Christian Scandinavia — Vikings brewed an unusual winter drink for the Yule holiday, which took place at the end of December. Beer was considered a gift to the Scandinavian gods, so its consumption was an obligatory item of the holiday program. In the Middle Ages Christmas beer was also loved in Europe — Germany, France, Belgium and England. Everywhere it was prepared in different ways, but it was always based on seasonal beer, usually strong and dense ale, which was brewed in monasteries and abbeys. In the XVIII century Christmas beer together with the Scandinavians emigrated to the USA, in the beginning of the XX century it gained commercial status, and in 1975 it got a new and permanent popularity thanks to Anchor Brewing Co, which released a special drink for Christmas holidays. And today Christmas beer is known and loved in many countries — for example, in Denmark its annual release is accompanied by a national holiday called J-Day. Features of Christmas beer Christmas beer is a strong, dark and spicy beer that has a rich consistency, sweet notes in the taste and a warming aftertaste. It both gives a sense of festivity and warms you up in the cold season as well as mulled wine. Brewers often add spices to Christmas beer — nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, orange and lemon zest. A prime example of a Christmas beer is Delirium Christmas from the Belgian brewery Huyghe. It is a strong amber ale with an aroma of fruit, spices and caramel malt, as well as a bright spicy taste with a bittersweet aftertaste. Perfect for winter! Christmas beer is best served chilled to 7-15 degrees, not in straight beer glasses, but in rounded glasses, as for wine. The ideal gastronomic pairing for the drink will depend on the variety, but the universal choice will be grilled meat, oven-baked vegetables, chocolate and creamy desserts. Looking for a place to try an authentic Christmas beer? Come to Lambic! Our beer restaurants offer a huge selection of quality beer from all over the world and delicious food that will be a perfect accompaniment to your favorite drink. Come — we will find something to surprise you!
20 December 2024