LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2021

ROOM AT THE TABLE

Beer and food pairings Entertaining should be as painless for you as it is pleasant for your guests. This guide to pairing beer with different holiday flavours furnishes you with no mixing required options for seasonal merrymaking.

Seasonal Baked Goods St. Feuillien Cuvée de Noël ( LCBO 22528, 330 mL, $4.20) has notes of licorice, pie spice, sugar plum and molasses that work well with sugar cookies and fruitcake.

Fried or Breaded Appetizers A versatile all-rounder, People’s Pint Helles Island American Lager ( LCBO 10105, 473 mL, $3.25) features a light-bodied spicy, floral character that lifts crispy appetizers and is equally at home with a bowl of nuts. Charcuterie Boards The rich, biscuity sweetness and floral, eucalyptic bitterness of Beau’s Local Organic ( LCBO 19358, 473 mL, $3.95) stands up to the salt and fat of cured meat, pâté and even pickles. Regardless of the variety of crudité or appetizer, the versatility of beer is up to the challenge, with a wealth of aromas and flavours that will put a smile on faces.

See page 280 for our Brie-Stuffed Pretzel Bites recipe.

Turkey Dinner Saison Dupont ( LCBO 551697, 330 mL, $2.95) has herbal hops that complement stuffing and roast poultry.

Beef or Lamb The roasted malt and silky mouth feel of Bench Brewing Mountainview Stout ( LCBO 20043, 473 mL, $3.30) comple- ment rich meats.

Non-alcoholic alternatives

Whether it’s brewed to contain only trace amounts of alcohol, or traditionally brewed and de-alcoholized, beer with less than 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV) is considered a non-alcohol product. Always check the label for the ABV, even for products labelled with terms like “alcohol-free” or “non-alcoholic.” Big Drop Brewing Co. Paradiso Citra IPA ( LCBO 18404, 355 mL, $2.45) is purpose-built to use lactose to create a full mouth feel. The attraction of this brew comes down to the bright Citra hop variety that produces notes of mango, lemon and grapefruit. Adnams Ghost Ship Pale Ale ( LCBO 18717, 4 pk, $9.95) is similarly modern but leans heavily into pine bough, fresh clementine and caramel sweetness on the palate, developing some body from the presence of rye.

Cheese Bright Bellwoods Jelly King

Cranberry and Tangerine ( LCBO 23500, 500 mL, $7.50) is a fruited sour to pair with lighter goat or bloomed-rind cheeses.

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HOLIDAY 2021 FOOD & DRINK