Drink: Christmas ales for real beer-lovers

Before I plunge into the maelstrom of Christmas wine coverage, a few words about beer, which I hope will have some place in your holiday plans. And not just a 24-pack of cut-price lager for party drinking. Some serious beers to do Christmas proud. You could order a full-size bottle for the festive table for a start. I came across a brilliant one at Cask in Pimlico – namely, Danish brewery Mikkeller's limited-edition Santa's Little Helper 2011 (10.9% abv), a sumptuously rich, dark brew that reveals hints of lingonberry, red wine and dried fruits, and has a nice sharpness that would make it a great match for goose. It's so limited, Cask seems to be the only UK stockist with any left, which is presumably why they're charging £15.99 for it. Rather more affordable is the stylish Inedit (4.8%), a citrussy, witbier-style beer that superstar Spanish chef Ferran Adrià had a hand in – get it from John Lewis on Oxford Street, London, for £4.99 and from Beers Of Europe for £4.89. The name might not strike you as particularly festive, but I also love Marks & Spencer's new Greenwich Hospital Porter (£9.99 a 750ml bottle; 6% abv), which has just gone into 150 larger stores. It's made by Meantime Brewing Company, aged for four months in Islay whisky casks, which gives it a surprising richness along with the expected smokiness, and it's perfect for roast beef, steak or stilton. In a similar vein, I'd also lay in a few bottles of the winner of Sainsbury's recent Great British Beer Hunt , Bad King John Dark Ale (6% abv), from Ridgeway Brewery in Oxfordshire . This is a satisfyingly full-flavoured brew with a subtle hint (I thought) of toasted sesame oil (£2.09 a 500ml bottle, Sainsbury's; £2.44, beerritz.co.uk ). Or, in a lighter, more crowd-pleasing style, try Merlin's Magic , a refreshingly citrussy, hoppy best bitter ( £4.29 a 660ml bottle, westcountryales.co.uk ; 4.5% abv) from the excellent Moor Beer Company in the Somerset Levels. Just what you'll need on Boxing Day. If you're looking for presents for beer-lovers, two books have hit the shelves – or Amazon warehouse – with impeccable timing. Melissa Cole's Let Me Tell You About Beer (Pavilion Books, £14.99) is a really approachable, well-illustrated book for someone who's just got into real ale; and the epic new Oxford Companion To Beer (£35), an exhaustive, 848-page blockbuster that would satisfy any hardcore enthusiast. It's edited by Brooklyn Brewery's ridiculously talented brewmaster Garrett Oliver, a man who writes as well as he brews. Which is annoyingly well. [email protected]