CAMRA talks turkey

Although more people than ever before will be enjoying Christmas dinner at the pub this year, real ale lobby group CAMRA has thrown a lifeline to beer lovers who will be enduring the ups and downs of a family Christmas at home.

Instead of supermarket plonk, CAMRA is encouraging people to match their Christmas fare to authentic beers, making the most of one of the 800 bottle conditioned beers available in the UK.

CAMRA's matches:

Breakfast:​

• Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with an English style wheat beer, which will complement the delicate flavour of the fish, but is not too hoppy as to overwhelm it. Recommendations​: Meantime Wheat Grand Cru or O'Hanlon's Double Champion Wheat.

Dinner​:

• Aperitif: Try a fruit beer such as Meantime Raspberry Grand Cru.
• Starter: Vegetable Soup with a pale bitter, which will complement the taste of the vegetables and leave a pleasant hoppy aftertaste. Recommendations​: Coniston Bluebird Bitter.
• Main course: Turkey with malty Ales; the bittersweet malt will bring out the subtler tastes of the turkey without overpowering the flavours in the vegetables and trimmings. Recommendation​: Fuller's 1845.
• Vegetarian: Nut Loaf with a malty ale; the spicy, smoky flavours of the malt will complement the nuttiness of the dish. Recommendations​: Black Isle Organic Scotch Ale
• Dessert: Christmas Pudding or mince pies with a dark stout or porter; the roast coffee and chocolate flavours in dark stout or porter are a perfect match with sweet desserts. Recommendation​: Titanic Stout.
• Digestive: a barley wine such as the 2006 Champion Winter Beer of Britain, A over T by Hog's Back Brewery.

CAMRA press officer Owen Morris said: "The traditional Christmas turkey dinner is a great time to enjoy the company of family and friends, and for too long people have thought that wine is the only beverage to serve.

"Beer is much more suited to sit next to any dish. You do not have to have a pint of each different style. In fact a small stemmed glass is a much better way to enjoy these beers with a meal and a third of a pint measure is perfect for beer and food matching."

• The Publican's own beer and food matching panel has turned its attention to festive fare. Click on the 'related article' links for this year's matches with Christmas pudding, and 2005's matches with turkey and all the trimmings.