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!

Date : 20 December

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