“It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like …”

… the holidays in general. And with that comes the annual round of questions regarding what beers people should bring to the table, with plenty of caveats based on the people at the table. For us, it’s not the questions that get old, but rather, the replies.

Typically, someone will ask what beer goes well with a holiday dinner—be it in general or with specific courses or dishes. And seemingly 99 percent of the time, the answers will be “Bière de Garde” or “Saison,” two styles that have become the go-to food pairing options for beer geeks due to their generic versatility of food-friendly characters.

No offense to the styles or their fans (which we are), but that’s just boring!

And that’s why this holiday season, we’re urging everyone to be a bit selfish. Try bringing what you like to drink to the table, instead of trying to appease everyone, and use it as an opportunity to share your passion with others. Yes, even if by force! Raise a fist to the norm. Challenge palates. Contrast. Compliment. Confound.

Basically, don’t compromise your holiday beer and food potential just because all the cool kids will be sipping some obscure Saison with dry turkey and suggested you should too. Be creative. Have fun.

For tips, head on over to: beeradvocate.com/food.

Respect Beer. ■