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Holiday with Christmas beer flavor: we tell you what is Christmas beer

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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!

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