Ale is the new Christmas pud

Adrian Tierney-Jones samples a range of seasonal beers to tempt trade

Christmas comes but once a year, but it's a bumper time for customers as far as most licensees are concerned. Office parties are booked and paper hats produced, Christmas lunches are on the agenda until everyone is sick of the sight of turkey and for those pubs where cask beer is an important part of business, a licensee's thoughts turn to festive beers.

Many beers brewed specially for the festive season are rich, dark and spicy, with names like Santa's Little Helper, God's Wallop or Rosey Nosey. Several that fall into the barley ale or winter-warmer category are mind-numbingly strong in alcohol. However, an increasing number of brewers are also producing weaker brews, while maintaining Christmas tradition by introducing spices into the brewing kettle. Whatever their strength, these are beers that help to get Christmas going in the local pub.

Seasonal sense

"Everyone should stock festive beers," says WaverleyTBS Cask Beer Festival manager Noel Ryland, whose job enables him to advise and supply pubs with a whole selection of seasonal beers. "Christmas in the pub is always fun, with wonderful festive beers -

and pubs always get busier," says Ryland.

Statistics seem to support his view. Figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) a couple of years ago suggested that sales of beer increased by an average of five million pints per day during the 12 days of Christmas. While many will not be festive cask beers, it still makes good seasonal sense for a pub majoring in ale to check out what their

favourite brewers are doing.

"I tend to go with the traditional strong ales, such as Bath's Festivity (5% abv)," says Steve Herbert, at the award-winning Old Spot Inn in Dursley, Gloucester.

"I strongly believe in beers that are like Christmas pudding - something slightly sweet, above 5% in alcohol, that warms your journey home. This is the only time of the year when we promote food: we suggest beer-and-food matches, such as Milton Brewery's Mammon (7% abv) with Stilton. It works a treat."

Balancing act

Despite tradition, the issue of festive beers being too alcoholic is valid. Most people won't want to drink more than a pint of beer that's too strong, and it's a no-go area for drivers. Presumably this has led to the emergence of weaker beers, such as Brains' Party Popper and Shepherd Neame's Tins Ale, both of which are session-beer strength at 3.7% abv. According to Gary Marshall, at a former Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) pub of the year, the Blisland Inn in Cornwall, mixing strong and weaker beer is the way to go. "We always try and find festive beers that we haven't had before," he says.

"We like to have a couple of stronger ones, but weaker ones sell more, so I get them in as well. I don't like the overly spicy ones. They're OK for people who enjoy a half pint, but people here like to drink several pints."

However, for those traditionalists who like to serve up the beery equivalent of Christmas pudding, all is not lost. According to Ryland, licensees should be thinking about different sizes of glassware and the amount they order.

"I'd like to see landlords make more of the third-pint glass," he says. "I encourage people to try nips of these festive beers. The third-pint glass gets forgotten and it's easier to get hold of these days. If a firkin is too much, they can put it in a 4.5-gallon pin or even 18-pint containers - both of which we supply - and test them on customers. There's always a buzz about Christmas beers, and four poly-pins on the bar are a real talking point. And their alcoholic strength means they'll keep longer."

Having worked out your beers, you have to consider their promotion. Sometimes seasonal names and colourful pump clips do the job themselves, but breweries and suppliers also lend a hand.

Christmas treats

Bateman's famously hands out a flashing pump clip for its rich, roasty Rosey Nosey (4.9% abv), and Waverley

TBS produces leaflets and tasting notes. On the other hand, Steve Herbert shies away from anything with Father Christmas imagery. He says: "I won't have flashing lights on the bar. No disrespect to Bateman's - they do some great beers - but that won't be on my bar-top."

This particular image will be a regular fixture on the bar at the Bateman's-owned Kings Arms, in Norwich. While it is part of the Lincolnshire brewery's estate, licensee Richard Roberts is allowed to stock other breweries' cask beers as well. So when Christmas comes along, his clientele are in for a real treat.

"We try to get lots of seasonal ales - the majority are strong and I look for as many different ales as I can find. They provide a nice alternative. But you only see them once a year, and a lot of the stronger ones seem to be the same - that's why I look for ales with lower strengths," he says.

"My customers show lots of interest and

often ask me what's coming as the season

approaches. I always distribute flyers and use the chalkboard to highlight the beers, but I don't tell people exactly when the ales will

arrive. I want them to keep visiting the pub."

All I want for Christmas...

Five festive favourites

Richard Roberts: Wolf's Grandma's Xmas Reserve (4.8% abv); Elgood's Wenceslas Winter Warmer (7.5% abv)

Gary Marshall: Archer's Marley's Ghost (7% abv)

Steve Herbert: Bath Ales' Festivity (5% abv)

Noel Ryland: Bateman's Rosey Nosey (4.9% abv)

Tips to sell more beer

l Dispense stronger beers in half or third-pint glasses

l Supply tasting notes and build a sense

of anticipation

l Offer food and beer choices

l Offer samples

Beers to go with Christmas dinner

With a starter of salmon, try something

light, smooth and slightly creamy, such as

Caledonian's Santa's Little Helper (3.9% abv).

For the main dish of roast turkey and all the trimmings, provide a warming, richly fruity glass of Wychwood's Festive Spirit (5% abv); for the Christmas pudding, forget the Port and pass the Tally Ho (7% abv), Adnams' extremely drinkable barley wine, or Cains' rich, mellow Victorian Ale (6% abv).