HB&B Blog — Christmas

The Beer Lover's Table: Tahini Brown Butter Thumbprint Cookies with Dulce de Leche and Left Hand Peanut Butter Milk Stout

Beer Lover's Table Christmas Claire Bullen Left Hand Brewing Stout

The Beer Lover's Table: Tahini Brown Butter Thumbprint Cookies with Dulce de Leche and Left Hand Peanut Butter Milk Stout

I have hated peanut butter my whole life. This is a controversial statement, particularly back home in the US, where peanut butter seemed an almost inescapable part of growing up. The smell, the stickiness turned my stomach; everything about it revolted me. I used to pretend I had an allergy, because it was the only way to get pals, teachers and parents to stop forcing me to eat it. Mostly, I didn’t regret my preference – there was no love lost for those sad, soggy PB&Js, mashed up at the bottom of some kid’s backpack. But come Christmas time, I always longed...

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The Beer Lover's Table: Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies and St Bernardus Christmas Ale

Beer Lover's Table Belgium Christmas Claire Bullen St Bernardus

The Beer Lover's Table: Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies and  St Bernardus Christmas Ale

There is no better December beer than St Bernardus Christmas Ale. Redolent of winter spices and dried fruit, this 10% quadrupel is well-suited to festive indulgence. It’s become such a cult favourite that, as I recently learned from fellow beer writer Eoghan Walsh, it’s even got its own themed Christmas jumper. (Santa, if you’re listening: Send me a medium?) Last year, I decided to take a page from Black Axe Mangal chef Lee Tiernan and pair St Bernardus Christmas Ale with deep-fried mince pies. But this year, I looked overseas for inspiration. In a normal December, I’d be hopping on...

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The Beer Lover’s Table: Deep-Fried Mince Pies And St Bernardus Christmas Ale

Beer Lover's Table Belgium Christmas Claire Bullen St Bernardus Trappist

The Beer Lover’s Table: Deep-Fried Mince Pies And St Bernardus Christmas Ale

There’s been a lot of discussion on the food internet lately about what constitutes a mince pie. The controversy kicked off two weeks ago, when US food website The Spruce Eats posted (and swiftly removed) a bizarre misinterpretation of the dish. The team mistook “mincemeat” to mean “beef mince” and so prepped a full-sized tart filled with mince, topped with apples and served with custard. UK commenters laughed and recoiled in horror in equal measure, though that wasn’t the end of it. As Eater London posited: When is a Mince Pie No Longer a Mince Pie? Does a mincemeat-stuffed doughnut...

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No More Heroes IX – Camden Town Brewery Beer 2015

Camden Brewery Christmas Matthew Curtis Sellout

No More Heroes IX – Camden Town Brewery Beer 2015

By now it’s likely you’ve heard the news that last week Camden Town Brewery sold to AB-InBev, the largest drinks company in the world, who produce beers such as Stella Artois and Budweiser. As a local to the brewery and a supporter of small, independent producers, I struggled to hide my disappointment at the news. I collected a few of my thoughts about the takeover on my own blog here. But despite my disappointment, it’s important to remember that Camden still produces some of the best beers in the country and that they’re spearheading a lager revolution in the UK. Lager is the most...

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No More Heroes VIII – Delirium Christmas

Belgium Christmas Delirium Matthew Curtis

No More Heroes VIII – Delirium Christmas

Before we start this review, I’d like you to humour me a little. Please point your browser at your preferred music streaming service and start playing Sir Paul McCartney’s Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time. Let those bells ring out and that seasonally atonal synth part wash over you, while I tell you all about a little beer called Delirium Christmas. The mood is right I love Christmas - it’s one of the best times of the year to be a beer drinker. I don’t, however, enjoy the majority of seasonally inspired beers that flood the market over the holidays. I struggle...

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