It’s that time of year again! Christmas 2020 is going to be a little different than normal but that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy the festive foods you love. Why not start some new traditions and enhance your Christmas food experience with our beer pairing guide.
We have carefully selected some of your favourite festive foods and compared tasting notes with the entirety of our beer range to give you the best beer and food combinations.
Smoked Salmon/ Prawn Cocktail - Bubble House or Pilsner
These common Christmas fish starters are typically served with something light so why not try our new Bubble House - a Brut IPA with a dry finish, hopped with Hallertau Blanc, Nelson Sauvin, Zythos and Wai-Iti to bring out white grape and tropical fruit flavours and aroma. Be a bit fancy; dial up the presentation and serve it in a Champagne flute. Beats a glass of bubbly any day. Our Pilsner is also a great refreshing beer to accompany a light starter.
Fried Foods - Hoppy Pale
At a sessionable ABV of 3.8%, Hoppy IPA is the perfect beer to kick off proceedings. Nibbling away at some spring rolls or handfuls of crisps? Ease into the evening with a Hoppy Pale or two. A delicious and thirst quenching session pale ale that delivers massive citrus aromas and tropical flavours, Hoppy Pale will hit your palate and leave you wanting more and keep you going throughout the long night ahead.
Turkey - Juicy IPA or Throw Away
Fingers crossed you don't end up with the driest turkey in town but as well as a ladle of gravy, Juicy IPA or Throw Away IPA are great accompaniments to the traditional Christmas roast. Juicy is a fruity and textured New England style hop bomb with aromas of stone fruit and citrus from the epic hop trio of Sabro, Azacca and Amarillo. It especially adds to the sweetness of a spoonful of cranberry sauce on the side. Fancy something a little hoppier? Go for a full bodied Throw Away - an IPA brewed using up-cycled Kellogg’s Corn Flakes provided via their sustainability programme. Throw Away has plenty of residual sweetness and is dry-hopped for full flavour.
Nut Roast/ Vegan Alternatives - Pilsner
Our Pilsner is the perfect companion for all of you indulging in a meat-free feast this year. A clean, refreshing lager delivering floral, spicy and herbal characteristics - true to the Pilsner traditions. An addition of Hallertau Blanc hops adds a modern element to this twist on a classic. This drink compliments the earthiness of the veggies and nuttiness of a meat alternative roast.
Christmas Pudding - Sling It Out Stout or Honeycomb Pale
Beer may not be the most common partner with a good Christmas pudding but why not branch out and try our Sling It Out Stout - a chocolate stout brewed using up-cycled Kellogg’s Coco Pops provided as part of their sustainability programme. Base malt, chocolate malt and caramel malt make up the core of this delicious, sweet stout. Our well loved Honeycomb Pale is also a very suitable tipple for a Christmas pud. A perfectly balanced pale ale with carefully selected hops infused with the essence of honeycomb creating this extremely moreish, unique pale ale - enhancing the sweetness of the fruits.
Cheese Board - Cast Off Pale Ale or Watermelon Wheat Beer Say cheese!
What is Christmas without a cheese board after all the turkey and trimmings have been demolished? For a fruitier cheese, our Watermelon Wheat Beer goes down nicely and compliments the sweetness and saltiness. An infusion of pressed, organic watermelons combined with a strawberry and pineapple aroma creates this truly thirst-quenching craft beer. For other cheeses like a Stilton or even a classic cheddar, the Cast Off Pale Ale is a fantastic choice. A super pale ale brewed using up-cycled Kellogg’s Rice Krispies provided as part of their sustainability programme. A bitterness compliments sweet notes from the cereal with a dose of double dry hopping.
Boxing Day Sandwiches - Amber Lager or Easy IPA
The day after all the festivities, so many leftovers... Turkey and stuffing sandwiches anyone? After a good lie in, there's nothing better than preparing some left over food and lounging in front of some Christmas TV. We recommend some lighter beers for the Boxing Day scraps. Amber Lager - lager that tastes as it should, full of flavour and aroma, with a slight malt sweetness followed by a distinct dry finish, this isn’t your average lager. Alternatively, ease into Boxing Day with and Easy IPA, our take on a classic with a modern twist. Inspired by our mates from across the pond, we use American hops that provide fruity aromas and a slight bitterness, making a super easy drinking session IPA.
Chocolate Selections - Salty Tiers
Eyeing up the mountain of chocolates under the tree? Avoid the sickly sweetness by sipping on a can of Salty Tiers - a delicious blackberry and cherry sour. An addition of Himalayan sea salt balances out the fruit and tartness, resulting in a beautiful Gose.
Wipe your tiers... The year is nearly over, let's all enjoy Christmas as best as we can and hope 2021 has a sense of normality in store for us all!
Merry Christmas from all of us at Seven Bro7hers!
Note: all our beers are vegan, except from Cast Off Pale Ale, Throw Away IPA and Sling It Out Stout