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Top five luxury beers to drink this Christmas
These super-premium beers are designed to be sipped, savoured and shared, and are perfect for the festive season, says beer editor Jessica Mason.
The luxury sector is not just the preserve of top-end wines or Champagnes. Some beers can be a rare pleasure too. Often full-bodied, small batch and built to age, these brews are made using the very best ingredients and are ideal for fireside sipping while you wrap presents.
• Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2019
Sweet, rich and malty, with a marmalade edge to its depth, this beer has fruit cake and spice on the nose, and heaps of biscuit and dried fruit on the palate. Its long enduring finish begs you to sip it slowly, with a cheeseboard and a roaring fire nearby. Buy directly from fullersbrewery.co.uk for £30 per bottle.
• George Gale & Co’s Prize Old Ale
An earthy aroma gives way to hints of dates, raisins, spice, and pepper. It has a sharp confident acidity on the palate that will round out over the years if you store a few bottles for a while, but even as a young beer, its piquancy urges you to dip back in for another taste. Buy from darkstarbrewing.co.uk until stocks last or contact: enquires@fullersbrewery.co.uk to find it. Price on application.
• Westvleteren XII Quadrupel
Brioche, banana, and cloves, along with caramel and spice on the nose. The gentle soft yeast gives it a cloudlike quality that, on the palate, belies its fuller body. Rich complexity in layers of fruit and maltiness pave the way for a long finish. Superb, satisfying, and one to share and talk about with friends. Buy from beautifulbeers.co.uk for £21.95 per bottle, while stocks last, or from high-end reputable beer bottle shops.
• Harvey’s Prince of Denmark
Pours strong and dark in colour with an amber hue in the light, the nose is leather and peppered spice with a hint of sweet biscuit. To taste, it has the indulgent depth of chocolate and liquorice, with a gentle bitter finish. Buy from shop.harveys.org.uk for £35 for 12 bottles (275ml).
• Orval
Understatement at its finest. This beer is all about balance and complexity without weighing in with too much clout. To some, it can be considered an everyday beer, but for others it is one of the most unassumingly well-crafted brews of all time. Layering an earthiness with lifts of fruit zestiness and an almost peppered character, it has hints of marmalade, toffee, coffee, and a pine cone finish that leaves a light lingering bitterness. Buy this underrated Belgian beer online or from any reputable beer bottle shops for a reasonable £2.80-£4, or approximately £59.99 for 24 bottles (330ml).
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