Christmas and winter beers

During the winter and Christmas period, breweries offer a special, time-limited beer that differs from 'normal' beers not only in taste, but also in its wintry design.

Of course, a Christmas beer can still be drunk in February, and a winter beer can be drunk even if there is no snow. What all these beers have in common is that they are not beers available all year round with a Christmas label, but specialities brewed especially for the occasion.

The history of winter beer

Brewing speciality beers for the festive season has a long tradition dating back to the Vikings. Back then, the Vikings brewed beer in honour of the winter solstice. However, this custom was introduced here in a modified form. So it's not just in Scandinavia that you'll find numerous Christmas beers, some of which contain Christmas ingredients such as orange, cinnamon, aniseed, cloves, cardamom, cocoa or vanilla. In Belgium, too, there are a host of seasonal brewing specialities for this festive occasion.

In Denmark, the Christmas beer tradition of the Tuborg brewery, which has been releasing its "Julebryg" at the beginning of November for just seven weeks since 1981, has given rise to an unofficial public holiday on which "brewery messengers" visit some 400 inns on 50 routes to bring people Christmas beer - who are, of course, very happy!

Which winter beer will be your Christmas beer?

We've tested 55 Christmas beers and put them together for you - book now, as production is unique and limited.

There are almost no limits to brewers' winter creativity, as breweries large and small demonstrate on a regular basis. However, there are differences in the understanding of a seasonal speciality. Some winter beers, especially those from the big national breweries, are available as early as the beginning of October. Smaller regional breweries traditionally do not launch their winter specialities until November, as was the case in the past. As the beers keep well and go fast, it's worth being quick (whether in October or November) and enjoying every bottle until spring.

Want to find out which winter beer is your perfect Christmas beer?

You're sure to find what you're looking for in The Crafts online shop!

Winterkoninkske Grand Cru 75 cl. 13 %.

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Winterkoninkske Bink 33cl 8.3 %

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Which beer goes with a barbecue??

Crackling charcoal, sizzling grilled food, tempting smells, the best summer weather, good mood. What's missing? Of course, the right beer! But we at The Crafts can help you out. We have put together the best recommendations for beer to go with your barbecue!

Of course, not every beer style goes well with every grilled dish. That's why we've picked out some versatile beers and beer styles to really enrich your next barbecue party with good craft beer. There are some great and surprising combinations to discover! Of course, you get the complete package with our favourites at an absolute bargain price.

Our compilation of the Grill Package

A fruity New England Session IPA from Estonia, a classic Trappist beer from Belgium, the great Trumer Pils from Austria, a strong West Coast IPA from the craft beer pioneers Sierra Nevada from the USA, the complex sour beer from the Belgian blender Tilquin and a crisp Red Ale from Belgium will introduce you to the world of barbecue and beer food pairings!

Hot dogs and burgers: a light blonde like Hoegarden Wit Blanche or Kerel Organic Wit, St Bernadus Wit , la Trappe Wit St Bernadus Watou Tokyo Belgium Wit Ale.

Grilled steak: the acidity and carbonation of amber ales, especially Irish amber ales, pair well with steaks and enhance the flavour of the meat.

Barbecue, French toast, vanilla and apple desserts: Christmas beers brewed with cinnamon.

Poultry, pork, seafood, spicy dishes (Mexican or Thai): Belgian wheat beer. Witbier:

Game and desserts: fruity beers such as Belgian raspberry beers. Kriek

Other beers for a great barbecue event

In general, of course, there are many more possible combinations between beer and grilled food than those mentioned above. And if you follow a few little basics, there won't be any nasty surprises, I promise! Because some flavour combinations are simply a safe bet.

For example, spicy or curry-flavoured foods go wonderfully with New England or stronger Double IPAs, because the spicy notes are balanced by the fruity, juicy notes of the beer. At the same time, the bitterness of some IPAs softens the spiciness. Another example is the combination of spicy-sweet marinades and a stronger beer style such as a brown ale or a dark doppelbock. You can also add a good sip of beer to the marinade. The malt sweetness of the aforementioned styles then blends in wonderfully with the flavours of the food!

And of course your personal taste plays an important role, so there's only one thing to do: try it out at The Crafts and get grilling!

Character matching beer style spicy

IPA, Double IPA, Blonde Ale spicy-sweet Red Ale or Brown Ale, Bockbier Dubbel Pickled Sour Ale , Lambic very fatty Wild Ale, IPA, Tripel roasty-aromatic Pale Ale, Pilsner , Porter, Stout

Barbecue, braised beef and chocolate and vanilla desserts: Stout (Irish black beer) like Guinness.

Here you will find the recommendations from The Crafts:

Duvel Tripel Hop CAshmere MW : Merguez Sausage

Samuel Adams : Salad with grilled vegetables

Gueuzerie Tilquin Oude Gueuze a l'ancienne : Grilled cheese with grilled apricot, as an aperitif

Spencer Trappist IPA : aubergine glazed with miso marinade

Karmelit pork sausage with herbs, spare ribs

Lambicus Timmermanns Marinades, Portobello Burger, Beef Steak

Our package includes 6 great beer specialities that bring a wide variance of beer styles. The taste worlds of the beers and the possible combinations with different barbecue dishes are correspondingly diverse!>> order online now

Gueuze Tilquin

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Duvel

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Spencer IPA Trappist

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Karmeliet

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TIMMERMANS – LAMBICUS BLANCHE

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Samuel Adams Boston Lager

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Sours & Fruit Beers

What are spontaneous fermented beers ?

Belgian sour beers and beers brewed along their lines are among the most complex and appreciated beers in the world.

Taste , production & history

These beers go through a long maturation in which the wild yeasts and bacteria, as well as the maturation process, produce a wide variety of flavours, from fruity lemon and tropical fruits to farmhouse and phenolic clove. Each has a unique character thanks to its microflora. The traces can be sharp or astringent, but the best are balanced. The beers are dry and usually carbonated, with tannins from the wood rather than hop bitterness.

In the seventeenth century, the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon discovered champagne-making by blending various non-sparkling white wines. A century later, a Brabant brewer mixed several lambics and caused a second fermentation in the bottle. The gueuze was born. Until the 19th century, the people of Brussels and Brabant drank mainly two beers, lambic and faro. The advent of the glass bottle and the contribution of Dom Pérignon were to revolutionise the small world of Brussels brewers. Gueuze henceforth became the symbolic beer of Brussels. A small group of brewers preserved the brewing process and in recent years breweries all over the world have started to copy the style.

Zwei Beispiele aus unserem grossen Sortiment.

Cantillon GUeuze 5.5 % Origine Bruxelles, Belgium

The amber beer shows notes sometimes reminiscent of earthy ripe cheese, hay, farm , but also of preserved lemon and sour fruit, as well as phenolic complexity - a beer full of flavour. the immediate onset of intense sourness is gradually tempered by combining cereal and fruitier notes as you drink. There are woody bitter pines and a refreshing carbonation.

Oude Geuze Boon 7 % , Lembeek , Belgium

Oude Geuze Boon is golden yellow with stable foam and abundant carbonation. It offers notes of fragrant floral lemon, berries and stone fruit and lively fruit acidity with grapefruit complexity, reminiscent of grapefruit pith in dryness and bitterness. It gets drier towards the end with wood, fir and herbaceous woody bitterness with pepper and lemon zest. The beer is wonderfully elegant with less phenomenon than Cantillon.