Very few things go together like Christmas and beer.
Monks and priests have long celebrated the occasion with specially brewed beers. They even used beer to try and entice other cultures to celebrate Christmas.
Even before the holiday became an annual Christian tradition, beer was involved in events such as Saturnalia and the Winter Solstice, bringing people together in mass gatherings.
As the holidays approach, with so many options to choose from, here are 10 beers that you can’t go wrong with. Six are available at the LCBO, while two can only be bought in Quebec. For the other two, you need to drive to the breweries in Ottawa to get them.
Let’s start with lighter, less intimidating, offerings. Easy-drinking Golden Rail Honey Brown Ale by Cassel Brewery comes in at 5.2 per cent alcohol and a meager 20 IBUS, presenting itself as a slightly sweet and bready beer that will appeal to a wide variety of palates.
For those looking for something a little more distinct in flavour, I recommend Saison Dupont by Brasserie Dupont in Belgium. The beer, which contains 6.5 per cent alcohol by volume and is rated at a low 25 IBUs, is largely regarded as the world’s best example of the saison style of beer. The beer pours a hazy straw, almost orange colour with a thick white head. It gives off lemony, citrus scents as well as bread-like, spicy and sweet, malty flavours. There’s a lot going on in this glass.
Fans of pale ales won’t be disappointed by California Sunshine APA, which is brewed by Cameron’s Brewing in Oakville, Ont. The beer comes in at 5.1 per cent ABV and around 35 IBUs and screams summer with tropical and citrus smells. The beer is sweet and bready and finishes with a hint of bitter citrus flavours. It begs for another sip, especially on a cold winter night.
Fans of wheat beers looking for something different should try Shawinigan Handshake, which is one of my perennial favourites. The made-in-Quebec brew, coming in at 6.5 per cent ABV and 42 IBUs, is technically “Weizenbock,” which is a German style of wheat beer, that is refreshing, slightly bitter and bready, and sure to please hop heads and fans of wheat beers alike.
For fans of hoppier beers, I’d recommend Lake of Bay’s 10 Point IPA. But get it soon, as this seasonal is now finished and what’s left at the LCBO is all there will be until next year. The beer contains 6 per cent ABV and has around 55 IBUs, which isn’t a mind-blowing amount of hops. Instead, what you get is a well balanced, yet hop-forward beer that salutes the traditional style of British IPAs.
Dark beer lovers can’t go wrong with Belle Hop Porter, from Beyond the Pale Brewery, which can be bought at the Ottawa brewery on Hamilton Avenue North in Hintonburg. The beer is a strong 7.8 per cent ABV and is rated at 51 IBUs, but it certainly isn’t bitter. All of the roasted malts used in the brew balance out the hop additions nicely to produce a beer that’s has big coffee and roasted malt flavours, and is slightly sweet, but not overly so.
For lovers of stouts, St. Ambroise’s 2014 Russian Imperial Stout would make a special gift, worth the trip to the Gatineau side to purchase it. At 9.2-per-cent alcohol and 84 IBUs, this is a thick, dry, hearty stout that is only released once a year around Christmas and it’s aged in bourbon-soaked oak barrels. It’s rich and dominated by flavours of oak, bourbon, chocolate and coffee. Its high alcohol level makes it a fantastic sipping beer that can be enjoyed over an evening.
There’s also Winterbeard, by Muskoka Brewery, which is a double chocolate cranberry stout. At 8 per cent ABV and 25 IBUs this is one flavourful stout. The complex chocolate, tartness and bread-like flavours are due to the addition of locally grown cranberries as well as real cocoa (70-per-cent dark chocolate), making this a winter warmer that is worth giving to stout or chocolate lovers.
Another Christmas favourite is Big Rig Brewery’s Gingerbread Porter. This is a beer for someone with a sweet tooth. The beer tastes like cinnamon and freshly baked gingerbread and is perfect for sharing with a group. The beer, available at Big Rig on Iris Street, contains 5.6 per cent ABV and is a mere 15 IBUs.
For my last pick, let’s go with a classic, Abt 12 brewed by St. Bernardus Brouwerij. Abt 12 is a Belgian Quadruple style beer, brewed by the monks at St. Bernardus in Belgium, making it a genuine abbey beer. It’s certainly not light, at 10 per cent ABV, but it’s definitely sweet with a mere 12 IBUs. This dark complex beer is compared to Westvleteren XII (which is largely considered to be the best beer in the world). The difference between the two is that Abt 12 is far more accessible that Westvleteren is. The beer pours nearly flat with very little head, and tastes of plums, dates, raisins and dark fruit. It’s a sweet beer that would best be served after dinner with dessert.
