Beer Talk by Art of the Table
November 24, 2010
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Belgians at your Thanksgiving Table
| | No, we're not suggesting that you quickly find some Belgian friends to invite to Thanksgiving dinner - I imagine your table is already filling fast! We do think you should give beer a chance on Thanksgiving!
Beer isn't something the general public would consider pairing
with a traditional "holiday" dinner. Sure, crazy Uncle Tom always has a can of Milwaukee's Best beside him, but generally wine wins the coin toss. I do think wine belongs on the table, but I also equally agree that beer has it's place too. In particular, I've found Belgian beer to be delightful with the roasted and weighty qualities of traditional holiday meals. So below are some ideas of where to head within the cooler for tomorrow's pairings.
And as long as we're on the topic, we've brought in a few Belgian Christmas style beers as well. A Christmas beer (a mini tutorial from the "Beer Judge Certification Program") tells that many examples are reminiscent of Christmas cookies, gingerbread, English type Christmas pudding, spruce trees or mulling spices." Basically, any combination of flavors and aromatics "that suggests the holiday season is welcome." Christmas beers are definitely becoming a 'thing' since the mid 1990s, the American and British craft beer market started booming & paying attention to Christmas ales. (Back to that next week though.)
Yes, Belgian beers are priced and sized more like a wine, a bit higher price tag than most other beer in the market but they're comparable to wine in so many ways. And, it offers variety and flair to your holiday table, which is also cool.
Have a great Thanksgiving -
no matter what you put on your table to drink! |
Traditional
(and some not so traditional)
| | Saison Dupont ~ Belgium
This wildly aromatic beer is a classic, and often times it shows up on the top of the "top beers" list from multiple sources. It's sour and focused with amazing astringency and floral notes. A great option with brined turkey, or even deep fried turkey...yeah, I said it.
Similar domestic selections in our cooler:
Ommegang's Hennepin ~ Cooperstown, NY
Jolly Pumpkin's Bam Biere ~ Dexter, MI
Maredsous ~ Belgium
Aromas of Belgian spice and dried fruit are evident in the lush head and in the beer as well. The flavor is malty with chocolate and slight coffee tones. Slightly aged oxidation notes show through to really highlight and balance the sweet malts.
A great beer for the table, an all around food friendly beer.
Similar domestic selections in our cooler:
Ommegang Abbey Ale ~ Cooperstown, NY
North Coast's Brother Thelonius ~ Fort Bragg, CA
Jolly Pumpkin, Oro de Calabaza ~ Dexter, Michigan
Brewed in the Bier de Garde, Franco/Belgian style, this golden ale with spices has a strong nose and is equally flavorful. Spice and deep carbonation make this a palate cleansing beer worthy of any Turkey Day spread. Also, this was the number one beer in a blind tasting of 20 Belgian and Belgian styled beers conducted by the New York Times and that's cool because it's from Michigan!
Similar Belgian selections:
Duvel ~ Belgium
Ommegang Brewery, Three Philosopher's Ale
~ Cooperstown, New York
Hands down, this is becoming a classic amongst beer lovers and "newbies" alike. It's a Belgian quadruple style ale, with a small percentage of cherry lambic added. It's not a very noticeable amount, but what it does is balance the malt and creates an incredibly drinkable and smooth beer. This beer is dessert. Well, you could pair it with dessert, but it's great all by itself too.
Similar Belgian Selections:
Chimay Grand Reserve
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Belgian Holiday Releases
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Think of Belgian Christmas beers as the ultimate dessert beers, festive, presentable, memorable and delicious.
Here are the two we are carrying this year.
Grab them before we run out!
(No really, after last weeks email, we ran out fast!)
We can only get so much of this stuff, so hurry to get yours now.
Gulden Draak Vintage Ale 2009
Delirium Noel
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The Staff @ Art of the Table
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