Holiday Pairings – Beers to Go With Christmas Books and Stories
Very very merry merry, ’tis the season, deck the halls and all that jazz. We find ourselves two days out – Christmas Eve Eve – from one of the western world’s biggest holidays. There’s no shortage of specialty books or unique beers for this time of year, and I’m uniquely qualified (or at least that’s what they tell me) to examine these topics in tandem.
There’s little doubt that, believer or no, a good number of RateBeerians will find themselves enjoying some holiday libations during the next few weeks. With these drinks already in hand, it makes sense to pair the brews with some of the books we’ll be reading for the holidays and the Christmas movies playing 24 hours a day.
Like any geeky list, this is all opinion and far from comprehensive. In the comments, feel free to add your own pairings or tell me why I’m 100% wrong about mine. Cheers!
A Kidnapped Santa Claus by Alex Robinson and Theakston Old Peculier
L Frank Baum’s classic story, along with The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, was one of the first to cement old man Claus’ popularity in the modern Christmas tradition. for such an old story, I of course have to pair the book with Old Peculier, one of my favorite old ales and a fantastic winter warmer.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and AleSmith YuleSmith
Yulesmith, an imperial red, is quite different from most winter seasonals. While the majority of winter warmers tend to be sweet and heavy on the malt, AleSmith’s brew has some amped-up yuletide hoppiness. It only made sense to pair one of the bitterest winter brews I’ve had with the story of cranky, miserly and bitter old Ebenezer Scrooge.
Elf and Southern Tier Creme Brulee
Although it has only been out a little over half a decade, Elf is one of my favorite Christmas movies and already considered by some a classic Christmas film. The movie benefits from clever writing and some real belly laughs, just enough to balance out the almost sickeningly sweet story. This sugary sweetness led me to pair Elf with the Southern Tier Creme Brulee, the sweetest beer I could think of.
Scrooged and Stone Ruination IPA
Another one of my favorite Christmas movies, featuring a masterful performance from Bill Murray. The film is undeniably black comedy, deftly swinging from laugh-out-loud funny to heartbreaking from scene to scene. Francis Xavier Cross strikes me as even more bitter and foul than Scrooge, so I’m pairing the film with the bitterest beer I could think of, the tongue puckering, bitter beer face-inducing (and absolutely delicious) Stone Ruination.
Jan Brett’s The Night Before Christmas and Ridgeway Reindeer’s Revolt
This pick is a bit more tongue in cheek. A couple years ago here in Maine, there was a huge kerfuffle about the Ridgeway Christmas beers. Essentially, there was a move to ban the beers because people were worried that the cartoon labels (featuring elves, reindeer and Santa) would appeal to children and, I don’t know, turn them into seasonal alcoholics or something. Well, I’d like to pair a beer for adults with artwork that appeals to children and a book for children that appeals to adults. Brett’s take on The Night Before Christmas is a beautifully told and illustrated version that will appeal to you, no matter your age.
Frank McCourt’s Angela and the Baby Jesus and Guinness Special Export
Although he was born in Brooklyn, New York, I always associate the late McCourt with Ireland – in no small part because of his phenomenal book Angela’s Ashes. This association led me to pair McCourt’s final book, Angela and the Baby Jesus, with an Irish beer. It makes sense in my head, at least – one of my favorite American exports to Ireland with a fantastic Irish export, the roasty, vanilla-tinged Guinness Export Stout.
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris and Brooklyn Winter Ale
One of the funniest collections of Christmas stories out there, Holidays on Ice includes the Santaland Diaries, the essay that catapulted David Sedaris to fame. The story, of which the audio version is a must-listen in my home every year, details the author’s stint working as a Christmas elf at Macy’s department store. Since the Macy’s flagship store – the one Sedaris worked at – is in New York, I paired the book with one of my favorite New York breweries.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss and Berliner Kindl Weisse with Waldmeistersirup
It’s a green, sour beer! The Grinch is a green, sour dude! Need I say more?
It’s A Wonderful Life and Lost Abbey Angel’s Share
Yet another obvious one. It’s hard not to think of Clarence when someone mentions an angel, and Lost Abbey’s Angel’s Share is a near-perfect beer to sip during this near-perfect holiday film. The brew is strong enough to be a sipper throughout the entire movie, with last year’s version clocking in north of 12% alcohol. Finally, one last connection – cherish your Angel’s Share if you get your hands on it, because getting it up in the northeast would be something of a Christmas miracle.
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