Kris: It was great to try some Christmas beers with dessert on Christmas Day. I think my Top 3 were  Mikkeller Red/White Christmas Ale, St Bernardus Abbey Ale and Gouden Carolous Christmas Ale. The Mikkeller was an interesting hybrid, A red ale/witbier. It is 8% with sweet, biscuit malt character, a huge amount of pine/citrus hop aroma and a lingering bitterness.

Kris : The dark, strong Belgian style beers were a great match for a classic Christmas Pudding. Fresh raspberries worked well with the Mikkeller Red/White Ale and the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

Caroline: Christmas lunch in Australia is still such a surreal thing for me! It’s so crazy that it is warm outside and we’re eating salad and seafood. I quickly got into the swing of things however, and enjoyed some beers in a hammock and fresh raspberries and pavlova! At least we had these winter beers and pudding to make it feel a bit like the winter Christmas I’m used to. My favorite was the St. Bernadus Belgian Abbey Ale. It was smooth and spicy and tasted like Christmas to me. Hints of nutmeg and brown sugar, a perfect match for Christmas pudding. MERRY CHRISTMAS (belated)