When you’ve grown up in the Northern Hemisphere, hot Christmases take some getting used to. It seems strange to have spangly decorations hanging above high streets and wrapped around lampposts; stranger still that Aussies send Christmas cards with snowmen on them…
In real ale pubs around the UK at this time of year, you’d see tap handles adorned with Santa, holly sprigs or reindeer as brewers roll out their Christmas beers, while in Belgium, the Trappist monks would be preparing the release of their own. But, given Christmas Day could well be a 40C swelterer, there’s not too many breweries here that commit to full-blooded, spicy festive ales when the people are more likely to be crying out for a refresher they can quaff in a hurry.
Holgate has produced one in the past, Redoak’s Christmas Cheer should be available now and, as of today, Red Hill’s Christmas Ale is pouring at the brewery – where you can savour it as the monk’s forefathers would have done.
“We’d been inspired by the Christmas beers from the Belgian Abbeys to make our own,” says Karen Golding, from Red Hill. “Then, a few years ago, a friend of ours brought this beautiful ceramic chalice back from one of the Trappist breweries and we realised we really, really wanted ours to be drunk from one.”
So, last year, they had them commissioned for the first time and, when they proved a success, they have returned in 2010, this time cast by Northcote artist Lynley Northcott. Eighty are available for purchase at the brewery for $30 a pop. Beautifully handcrafted and emblazoned with the brewery logo, they take enjoyment of beer to another place – Red Hill suggested you feel like a king, Crafty thought it was more like a Knight Templar with the Holy Grail.
The new beer and chalices aren’t the only festive treats on offer at Red Hill. The brewery is holding two special beer appreciation sessions, featuring their Imperial Stout and Christmas Ale. Held on December 11 and 18, they offer you the chance to compare side by side vintages of each beer stretching back over several years. Full details can be found in the events diary here.
If you’re tempted, make sure you’re signed up to The Crafty Pint newsletter so you receive this week’s edition tomorrow lunchtime. And, if you’re keen to taste this year’s vintage of the Christmas Ale, it will be arriving in bottleshops around Victoria next week.
