I’ve been mulling for some time what kind of beer to drink on New Year’s Eve, and I’ve settled on two. Interestingly enough, according to this article beer is now the drink of choice for New Year’s Eve over wine and spirits.

The first is a Belgian Ale, perhaps maybe even a nice flavorful triple. Why? Many of the Belgians are a little sweet and more highly carbonated than say a German lager, and provide a slightly “champagne-y” alternative to, well, champagne. The only thing I have in my basement is a Flying Fish Grand Cru, but if I were making the purchase I’d buy a bottle of the Chimay Blue or their triple, Chimay Cinq Cents.

The other choice of New Year’s Eve beer is an odd one for me, but I’d be intrigued to have a barley wine. Problem is, as I’ve never really developed a taste for barley wine I can’t really recommend one. If you can, add a comment below!

Speaking of wine, if you’re sticking with sparkling wine for New Year’s Eve check out Behind the Vines for some of Farley’s favorites.

image from chimay

Post from: EveryJoe

A New Year’s beer

The menu starts with Crab Cocktail, a twist on the classic which adds a horseradish and wasabi spiciness. My choice here is a weissbier, even though I usually don’t drink much weissbier in the winter. I’m not usually a big fan of Belgian-style whites, I’d be tempted to try one of those since the slightly citrus taste of the beer should compliment the shrimp nicely. An alternative would be a nice full-bodied lager, like a Prima Pils from Victory or even a Thai or other Asian lager to match the wasabi.

Moving on to the entreé, we have a Crown Roast of Pork with Onion and Bread-Crumb Stuffing (yum) with sides including Gougeres, Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, Cauliflower Gratin, Candied Carrots, and Yorkshire Pudding. This is a big, hearty meal which, in my mind, calls for a big, hearty beer. I’m thinking a good, dry porter or brown ale, or even a dry stout – nothing too fancy or too hoppy, just a good solid beer which holds up to but doesn’t compete with the roast. I have a Cream Porter from St. Peter’s in the basement which I’d try with this, or maybe the Duchy Estates Brown Ale I wrote about a little while ago. Given the flavorful side dishes, I’d also consider a Belgian Ale, particularly as there are a few Flying Fish Grand Cru in the basement calling my name.

For dessert, Tracey went Italian on us, with Panettone and Eggnog-Panettone Bread Pudding. My wife loves bread pudding. In any case, this one’s a little tricky, since it lacks the sweetness of some other desserts, but I think I’d stick with the classic dessert beer, a really big stout. I’m thinking Brooklyn Chocolate Stout or maybe a Samuel Smith Imperial Stout. I’m intrigued by the idea of an Altbier as well, but would probably steer away from anything Belgian, which I think would compete too heavily with the Panettone.

After dinner, if you’re not ready to burst, most beer writers would recommend a barleywine. I love beer, but a nice single malt scotch does it for me, and hell, it’s really just distilled beer anyway!

I’m somewhat new to this world of matching beer with a full menu, so if you think you have a better match let’s hear about it!

Post from: EveryJoe

Christmas dinner (with beer!)

Ok, this is going to be the last gift post of the year, since if you don’t finish your Christmas shopping today you need to get off the computer and get to the store. Let’s face it, after today no one’s going to deliver anything you order in time for Christmas anyway, so it’s bricks and morter for anything you’ve got left.

The good news is that there’s one weekend to go before Christmas, so why not combine gift buying with a visit to your favorite microbrewery for some swag? For those of us around Philadelphia, that means the really cool merchandise at places like Dogfish Head and Flying Fish, to say nothing of the fine beers at Victory or the traditional flair of Yuengling. My wife has the really cool Flying Fish earrings pictured above, and shopping at a brewery sure beats going to the mall.

For those of you elsewhere, this article recaps some of the best gift ideas for the beer lover, including Dogfish Head’s beer buckle bottle opener, so get out there and get shopping. Oh, and have a pint to celebrate when you’re done.

image from Flying Fish Brewery

Post from: EveryJoe

Last gasp for the late buyer

Post from: EveryJoe

Business of brewing