From Belgium to Chicago, holiday beers add cheer to the season
The 12 beers of Christmas had such a nice ring to it. I tried to follow the theme of the song, but the problem is, there are just too many great holiday beers out there to limit my favorites to a mere dozen.
I recently attended a tasting of holiday beers with Ed Kane, brew master at Lincolnwood-based Louis Glunz Beer Inc., at which Ed revealed his 12 picks (he's more disciplined than I). After the gut-busting food-and-beer-pairing lunch with Ed and his jolly crew, I headed out for some research on my own (it's a rough job, I know).
Ed's full list is available at glunzbeers.com, and you'll find another neat feature at the site: plug in your zip code to discover where to buy some of these beers. Louis Glunz Beers distributes 665 micro, specialty and import beers (the most in the Chicago area), so there's a good chance you'll be able to find these or your favorites on the site.
Here are my favorites; prices quoted are suggested retail:
Anchor Christmas Ale, $12.99/six-pack. For 34 years now Anchor Brewing Co. in San Francisco has brewed a holiday offering. Each year the recipe is a little different, and each year (at least as long as I've been drinking it) it's been pretty darn good. Ed suggests trying it with pumpkin pie.
Chimay Blue/Grand Reserve Magnum, $32.95/50-ounce bottle. This might be the original Christmas beer. First brewed by Trappist monks in the Belgian Abbey of Scourment for the holidays, it is now available year round. Says Ed: "This strong brown ale-style beer has a deep rich flavor that improves with time."
Corsendonk Christmas Ale, $9.99/750 ml. This rich, spiced ale from Corsendonk Brewery in Belgium has chocolaty notes. Ed likes it with chili, and on this we agree.
Delirium Noël, $12.99/four-pack. If you spot a white bottle emblazoned with a pink elephant wearing a Santa hat, grab it. Huyghe-Melle Brewery in Belgium brews this strong, dark and very complex ale. Sip from a snifter-style glass.
Goose Island Christmas Ale, $8.99/six-pack. The hometown brewery changes the recipe slightly each year to keep us on our toes. The brown ale is full of hops. Put a couple bottles in the back of your closet today, and you could be rewarded tastefully five years from now.
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, $15/750 ml. Boston Beer Company's holiday gift to beer drinkers is the rerelease of this beer after a two-year drought. Strong chocolate notes and light carbonation. Flavors soften with time.
Gifts of good taste
You like the idea of heading into your kitchen and whipping up some gifts for the family. But your cousin in Georgia misses Chicago-style hot dogs; Uncle Bill can't get decent brats in Arizona; and your son won't stop talking about the beignets he had on a recent trip to New Orleans.
If you're not going to grind your own sausage or recreate Southern fried dough treats at home, you can still look like a holiday hero with the help of Foods Across America.
At foodsacrossamerica.com (or (800) 621-4224) you can shop for regional favorites from around the country as selected by the folks at Vienna Beef in Chicago.
Maryland crab cakes, Key West Key lime pie and kringle straight from Racine are just some of the delicious gifts you can send to family and friends (or yourself).
Hold the ketchup
Speaking of hot dogs, Vienna Beef Senior Vice President Bob Schwartz will take you back to the hot dog's humble beginnings and discuss how they transformed the nation from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 13, at Kendall College's School of Culinary Arts, 900 N. North Branch St., Chicago.
Schwartz recently penned "Never Put Ketchup on a Hot Dog: A History of Hot Dog Stands and the Public's Passion for Them." His talk will focus on the people who make, sell and eat hot dogs and will end with samples.
The program costs $5; free to members of the Culinary Historians of Chicago. To reserve a spot or for information about joining the group, call Barbara Olson at (708) 788-0338 or e-mail rsvpchc@yahoo.com.