Choose a full-bodied beer for Easter

Easter and beer have gone hand-in-hand for centuries. The monks of Bavaria enjoyed strong dobbelbock beers as liquid bread during their Lent fasting period – and Belgian monks also nourished themselves with abbey beers.

Easter beers brewed around Europe for the holidays were traditionally darker and stronger than ordinary beers. That said, Easter beers are not all the same – nowadays, they come in all styles.

Beer recommendations for your Easter table

“Alko’s selection has many beers that are a perfect fit for Easter. When eating lamb, you should enjoy a beer with a full body,” says Timo Vallo, Product Manager at Alko. Vallo’s recommendations include strong ale or a monastery-brewed Trappist beer. Suitable strong lagers include bock and dobbelbock. Those who enjoy somewhat lighter flavours can opt for a dark lager.

“Belgian abbey ale pairs wonderfully with lovingly cooked lamb. It has a moderate but tasty dark maltiness, spiced up with dry fruitiness.”

If you are serving delicate spring lamb, you should keep this in mind when choosing a beer. Saison beers with their light fruitiness and rich carbonation are a good fit for the mild flavours of spring lamb.

Which beer goes with mämmi?

It might seem natural to combine mämmi with a beer – as mämmi is basically oven-cooked rye beer mash. However, the abundant sweet maltiness of mämmi calls for a beer with other characteristics to balance it out. “With mämmi, you could try not only porter and ordinary stout, but also sweetish types of stout, such as sweet stout or oatmeal stout,” says Vallo.

Text Lasse Pakarinen