What is Christmas beer, anyway?

By Phil Mellows

It’s that time of year. A national newspaper asked me to come up with 10 beers for Christmas, beers anyone can easily find on the supermarket shelves and not have to take out a mortgage to buy.

After trawling around the big retailers, I had to resort to Fortnum & Mason to find one that had Christmas in its name. Not the spot for everyone’s weekly shop, but it was interesting that the store had teamed up with a long-established small independent brewer, Westerham, and the beer was still reasonably priced.

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When you think about it, though, it makes sense that supermarkets are not stocking ‘Christmas’ beers as such because they’ll look out of date by Boxing Day. Better to have a seasonal offer that sells the whole of winter.

But it got me wondering, what do we expect from a Christmas beer?

Something strong and dark is the obvious answer, preferably spiced and rich with pronounced flavours of dried fruits, perhaps even sherry-like. Harvey’s Christmas Ale would be a typical example. It’s technically a barley wine, and so is Fuller’s Vintage Ale, in my house a must for the dinner table on December 25, even though it hasn’t got ‘Christmas’ in the name.

There are lighter alternatives. Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale is relatively pale but still fruity, and it’s available on draught in the Kent brewer’s pubs during December at a lower ABV, 5% rather than 7%. It reminds me of a cask ale I liked, originally brewed by Wethered’s, then Whitbread, called Winter Royal, which I see has now been taken up by Rebellion Brewery.

You’ll see quite a few Christmas cask ales in pubs, though it seems to me not as many as there used to be. Often, they’ll have an ABV of little more than 4%, which isn’t a problem as long as they’ve got the flavour. But some of them fail to distinguish themselves from the kind of ales you might drink all year round. The festive tag is just a marketing thing.

This is the danger. Sticking a bit on tinsel on it and calling it Christmas. The beers we’re looking for here require substance. They need to be special. They have to match the smells and flavours of the season.

Here’s a quick test. Will it stir into a Christmas pudding? Apparently, sales of Theakston Old Peculier spike this time of year as people look for something to moisten the mix, and barley wines are, indeed, another favourite pudding ingredient.

Also, it has to be something you wouldn’t usually drink. Brewers recognise this by bringing to the fore souped-up versions of their well-known brands. St Austell has a vintage Extra Special Tribute, Greene King has Abbot Reserve (my brother’s favourite) and Old Crafty Hen, which is a blend of Old Speckled Hen and a strong, oak-aged brew called 5X.

And that’s why it feels like the right time to open that 11% bottle of imperial stout. Last year, for me, it was St Austell’s Black Square, and this time it could be something I’ve had stashed away for a few years: Salt Beer Factory’s portentously-named bourbon barrel-aged Hexagon Project #13 K.I.S.S. (no longer on sale). It’s 13% and in a big bottle, so one for sharing – which is what Christmas is all about, after all.

Kate’s travel notes

‘Tis the season to elbow your way around the country’s heaving malls and markets. If the thought fills you with mighty dread, consider leaving the shoppers in the family to it while you slope off to a nearby attraction.

The V&A East Storehouse, which opened in May, is a case in point, an easy walk from the mega-mall Westfield Stratford City in London. More than half a million works are available to browse in curated displays or, on request, close personal inspection, including 80,000 objects in the David Bowie archive. Tickets are free but sell out fast, but walk-ins are possible if your luck’s in.

Photo © Shepherd Neame