Page 33 - Uncorked Magazine - Winter 2017

Beer expert Kristin Jensen offers
some beer matches for your traditional
Christmas dinner and your traditional
beer-drinking family member.

y now you’re probably with the food. On that note, beer can
starting to plan all the be used to complement or provide
different courses for your contrast with the flavours in food.
Christmas dinner, but For example, the caramelised and
Bhave you thought about roasted flavours of some beers
what you’ll be pouring? Wine will be match particularly well with the
getting a lot of press in the run-up to roasted meats traditionally served
the big feast, but what about beer? It at Christmas dinner. And with more
might not be traditional, but did you selection than ever before, the range
know that beer is actually a better of flavours and versatility of craft beer
match with food than wine? I can mean there’s a match for any meal, be
hear you scoffing, but hear me out. To it a curry or, yes, Christmas dinner.
start with, hops stimulate the appetite And don’t forget the glassware! Just
due to their bitter taste, making beer like wine, beer is best appreciated
an ideal drink to have with any meal. when served in a certain type of glass. Pre-dinner
Plus the bubbly, cleansing carbonation A pint glass is a good all-rounder, but
in beer gives a refreshing lift to your for a special occasion like Christmas snacks
palate, which is especially welcome dinner, you might want to invest in Start off light with a lager,
at a rich meal like Christmas dinner. tulip glasses, the new style of glass pilsner, kölsch or wheat beer,
Beer also has an exciting range of that has been developed specifically
flavours as it can play with different for IPAs, or even snifters. Whether or ring in the changes by
variations of grains, hops and yeast, it’s a crisp, clean kölsch, a zesty IPA, serving cider in a Champagne
not to mention other add-ins like a chocolatey stout or a wintry spiced flute as an aperitif.
spices, chocolate, chillies or fruit. The seasonal to sip by the fire, there’s a
greater flavour range in the drink beer to match whatever you’re serving,
means there are more opportunities to so why not give craft beer a place at
find equivalent matches or contrasts the table this Christmas?

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