Bring some beery sparkle to your New Year

For festive occasions such as New Year’s Eve, there are more alternatives to bubbly beverages than Champagne, Cava and Prosecco. Beer works quite nicely, too, as a welcome drink or aperitif, paired with delicious food or to toast new beginnings at midnight.

For instance, why not try a Berliner Weisse? This type of beer is a regional speciality of Berlin, and was referred to by Napoleon’s troops as “the Champagne of the North”. It is elegant and low-alcohol with a clean sourness and very high carbonation. It has even been described by some as the most purely refreshing beer in the world. I would go for one of Swedish brewery Brewski’s Berliner Weisse, perhaps the super fruity Take Me To The Lighthouse.

Another beer style to explore is Gose, a thirst-quenching beer originating in the Middle Ages in the town of Goslar on the Gose River. This tart and fruity wheat ale with bright flavours is also highly carbonated. It has a coriander and salt character and is served in traditional cylindrical glasses. Here, Danish brewery To Øl’s Lemongrass Gose would be an interesting choice – a hoppy, pungent, and deeply aromatic experience. What’s not to like?

A few years ago, a new beer style appeared on the scene: Brut IPA. It originated in San Francisco’s Social Kitchen & Brewing and was named ‘brut’ for its extreme dryness, as a reference to Brut Champagne. As a reaction to the sweeter IPAs, this is as close to Champagne as an IPA can get. Norwegian brewery Lervig’s Brut Nature is an excellent interpretation. It’s bone-dry, bright, effervescent and, above all, bursting with hops.

Why not crack open another type of bubbly to celebrate?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Scan Magazine Ltd.

Malin Norman is a certified beer sommelier and a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers. She writes about beer for Scan Magazine as well as international beer magazines, and also creates beer-related content for beer suppliers.