Booze Noel

Ho ho ho it's another blog about what to drink at Christmas! Since everyone is having fun writing about their favourite festive tipple, I thought I would get stuck in. Traditionally Christmas is the time to try and drink as many different drinks as possible throughout the day, justifying it with the plethora of different foods you get to shovel down your neck. So I will feature a few of my favourites and generally what they go with pretty well. Imagine you've just woken up extremely thirsty on Christmas morning and we'll start from there.

In both mine and my fiancé’s families it's traditional to start off with Vermouth and lemonade pretty much as soon as everyone has woken up. I recommend getting the cheapest vermouth you can find blended three parts to one of Value Lemonade. Put a bit of lime in it to make it look fancy.

Next up you might want to have a stubby bottle of French lager or maybe another Martini – some like to have a G&T, but it's up to you. If you insist on ploughing straight into the chocolates Santa got you then I recommend hitting the miscellaneous Irish liqueur early as they make a great combo.

In my family we have Christmas dinner at lunchtime and this is when the serious drinks start to come out. If you're classy enough to have a prawn cocktail starter (come on, you know it's actually really nice and a bit of kitsch never hurt anyone) crack a good bottle of fizz. I like a good Cremant de Bourgogne, a French sparkling wine made in the same style as champagne, half the price and just as much quality and flavour.

Next for the main event. Your mother has spent forever cooking what should be one of the best meals of the year so it's important not to spoil it with terrible wine. My top tip for Christmas dinner has to be Pinot Noir. The grapes cherry flavours, earthy notes and light body lend themselves excellently to poultry, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gammon. If you're having a classic turkey roast, go for a something French as it's a little lighter, often with savoury notes. If you're having something a bit richer, go for a Californian or New Zealand pinot as they are more robust. White drinker? A big buttery Chardonnay is ideal, or try something fresher and slightly nutty like a Fiano from Italy for something different.

To finish, dessert wine is a great alternative to an actual dessert as you are probably pretty full at this point. Monbazillac is a great choice. Situated a little further south than the famous Sauternes in Bordeaux and made in the same style, but often much cheaper. Fresh, citrussy and honeyed, it'll clear your palate perfectly. If you are up for something a little richer, go with a Pedro Ximinez Sherry (PX), a deep, dark, luscious, caramel and raisin filled treat. Both these will also go fantastically with the cheese board later.

After dinner you might want to have a nice nap through the Queen's speech ready to get back on it in the evening.

At this point all bets are off. You could decide to head straight for the array of dodgy liqueurs you never usually buy but feel you should as it's Christmas. I recommend having a couple of beers. My festive favourites are the Belgian Christmas Beers or the great selection of darker British Christmas Ales, which are usually spiced and really taste like Christmas. If you want something light and gluggable, good Czech Pilsner or hoppy American Pale Ales are great for swigging whilst playing with your new toys.

After everyone has let their dinner go down and gone for a walk/had an argument/played Monopoly and Cluedo/watched several 80's Christmas films – delete where appropriate – it's time for more food.

A classic spread of hams. cheese and pickles is a thing of beauty and a lot of fun to match with drinks. This is probably a good time to crack out the snowballs (advocaat & lemonade); they don't go remotely well with any of the above food but are delicious and essential nonetheless. My top wine choice is a nice Beaujolais. No, not that horrible nouveau rubbish, I'm talking about one of the top areas (or Crus) of the region like a chunky, dark cherry filled Morgon or a flowery Brouilly. With plenty of juicy acidity to cut through, it's the perfect partner to cured meats and the new hero red wine for Christmas fayre. If you're still on the beer a hoppy, malty Double IPA is great, lifting fat and adding new dimensions to the food as it goes.

After tea every household should get the cheeseboard out and don't forget the 'biscuits for cheese' pack you bought when it was on special offer two months ago. This is the ideal time to bring out the port. Port and blue cheese is a match made in heaven and the perfect tipple to sozzle your way through the Eastenders Christmas special. A good LBV (late bottled vintage) Port does the job nicely, with more complexity and flavour than a basic ruby but without the price-tag of vintage port. An alternative to port and a new champion (or old classic depending on the way you look at it) for the cheeseboard is Barley Wine. A very strong beer with a massive malt content which can be just as warming as a port but not quite as boozy. Hoppy American ones add citrus flavours while classic English ones are biscuity, making them pair great with lots of different cheeses, rather than just the strong blue stinky ones.

If you're still going by this time, firstly I commend your stamina! Secondly it's clearly the time to hit the single malt whiskey. The ultimate winter warmer and a sure thing to knock you out after a long day of festivities – or make charades even more obscure than it usually is.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Beer Father

Everyone has somebody who introduced them to something they are now passionate about, whether it's the person who took you to a gallery for the first time, your first guitar teacher or someone who gave you that glass of wine which made sparks go off in your taste buds.

The person who is responsible for igniting my passion for beer – which as a result opened the way for me to get fully into the flavours of wine – is my Dad.

He used to take us on holiday every year, and after a while my brother, sister and I started noticing a theme. From Brugges to Amsterdam and Prague to Berlin, everywhere we went seemed to have a thriving and historic beer culture. While all my friends where drinking cheap lager, I was acquiring a taste for something altogether more flavourful.

I now have a fantastic mutual interest with my Dad and brilliantly get invited round his house to try a plethora of excellent beers he has picked up, often ones I've never heard of. Below is the line up from my last visit. You'll see why I am lucky and hugely thankful for having a Dad who not only has great taste but a very extensive knowledge of our favourite fermented malt beverage.

Sierra Nevada - Torpedo (7.2%)

Classic US IPA. Dry, citrussy, and full of piney hops. Went perfectly with the delicious enchilada pie my stepmother made.

3 Fourquets - Lupus (8.5%)

Like a supercharged Saison! Herbal, bright and slightly sweet with some wonderfully balanced hop bitterness. It has that classic Belgian yeasty aroma that takes you right back to Brugges whenever you smell it.

Birrifico Bruton – Momus (7.5%)

There's something about Italian craft beers that ooze class. Momus is in a 'dubbel' style but as far away in flavour as Italy is from Belgium. The palate is unbelievably clean, with flavours of Turkish delight, coffee and dried fruit.

Goose Island – Fleur (5.2%)

Goose Island's Belgian brown inspired ale, Fleur is paler and apparently brewed with hibiscus and kombucha tea. I didn't detect the tea but it did have some lovely floral and dried fruit flavours. What I really enjoyed about this beer is that Goose Island have achieved those great brettanomyces funky aromas and sour flavour which freshens the whole thing up.

Nogne O IPA (7.5%)

A really excellent and original IPA. Darker than most and halfway to a black IPA even, it has tons of raisin flavours in the nice and firm malt base, balancing the heavy, piney aromatic hops wonderfully. One of the best IPAs I have had for a while.

Westmalle Tripel (9.5%)

I always forget how good this beer is, and it's the perfect way to finish an awesome day of drinking. Fruity, spicy and perfumey with punchy alcohol and balancing bitterness. A classic! This was accompanied by a much needed ham and mustard sandwich, which went amazingly well. Honestly, a near perfect match – you have to try it!