Which beer to drink on New Year’s Eve?

If you’re planning to toast the new year with a beer rather than a glass of champagne which one should it be? A quick Twitter survey revealed a whole raft of interesting options

Many went for the nearest the beer world has to offer - a celebratory ale: Adnams Sole Bay in the case of Adrian Tierney Jones (@atjbeer), Deus (@hautcedre) and Malheur Brut - the choice of beer writer Pete Brown (@petebrownbeer)

Others felt strongly it should be a local beer from a brewery they already patronise. As Chris King of @NorthernWrites aptly put it “something you love, something you know. Amount of times I’ve saved a big bottle for NYE and it’s been naff/drain pour” while beer writer Melissa Cole @melissacole clearly had her eye on going down her local. “Doubtless something by London Brewing Co @Bull_Highgate”

Of the beer styles available stout and imperial stout were popular as perhaps more surprisingly was gueuze though there was, of course, a contingent which favoured hugely popular IPAs and pale ales.

For a party Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham of @thinkingdrinks were planning "@MeantimeBrewing imperial pilsner & @thornbridge Jaipur".

And my own choice? Most probably @wildbeerco's Ninkasi (along with beer bloggers Boak & Bailey) though I do have a couple of handsome full-sized bottles of Italian beers (below) from Mastri Birrai Umbri which we didn’t get round to on Christmas Day - a doppio Malto and a Birra Speciale Rossa which I’ll report back on when we drink them.

Here’s the full list: (Thanks, Twitter!)

@petedrinks Will definitely be having some of my own Coffee Porter, to start but for midnight, I might crack open a

Why the Italian craft beer scene is so exciting

Rome-based food and drink blogger Katie Parla shares her enthusiasm for her adopted country's innovative beers

"While most would agree that the Italian craft beer industry was born in 1996 when Teo Musso founded the prolific and influential Baladin brewing company, things have really got moving nationwide in the past 4-5 years.

The relative youth of craft brewing, as well as a lack of regional traditions and laws guiding production practices, means that Italian brewers are free to use ingredients that suit their personal tastes and creative whims. Although they are not necessarily bound by particular styles, many are indeed influenced by those they have consumed abroad, particularly fruit-based Belgian beers, which account for some of the most interesting beers coming out of Italy today.

From its inception, Italian craft brewing sought to make beers that are uniquely Italian and even today, the best results are found in beers that attempt to impart a sense of place. To this end, brewers turn to highly regional products like seasonal produce, local honeys and heritage grains. Reflecting the influence of traditional wine production, many brewers use grape must and wine barrels to great effect.

The volume of many bottles, 75cl, also demonstrates a clear choice to raise beer above its humble reputation in Italy and place it on par with wine. Likewise, many beers are best consumed with food to appreciate their nuances, another parallel with the nation’s most famous beverage.

Some brewers are not just taking cues from the wine industry, but also collaborating directly with vineyards. Lover Beer, a brewery in Piedmont, uses Barbera grape must and its wild yeast to spark fermentation. The product, BeerBera (above, available from Beers of Europe), is a red-fruit driven, lightly sour and slightly funky ale made annually at harvest time and labeled with the vintage. Birrificio Barley uses reduced cannonau must in its aromatic BB10 barley wine which is rich in caramel, cacao and dried red fruit notes.

Many seasonal beers incorporate fruit other than grapes. Birra del Borgo blends Duchessa, a saison-style spelt beer with raspberries to create Rubus. The fruit stimulates a spontaneous fermentation, mellowing the tropical fruit aromas characteristic of Duchessa and imparting a bright but balanced acidity and red berry aromas.

Birrificio Montegioco’s Garbagnina combinbes the brewery’s Runa blonde ale with "Bella di Garbagna" cherries from Piedmont. The product is a tart, ruby colored beer with cherry, berry and floral notes, especially geranuim. The beer is lightly tannic, fruit-forward and has a slightly mineral finish.

Lazio-based Birra del Borgo has found a hugely innovative way to communicate a sense of place. In their winter oyster stout, Perle ai Porci (Pearls Before Swine), they use telline del litorale romano (Roman bean clams recognized by Slow Food) to bring a sapidity that evokes the Tyrrhenian Sea coast.

Brewing with rare or ancient grains is another trademark of Italy’s craft beers. For decades, the country’s industrial pasta and beer companies have favored high-yield wheats, much of which is imported from abroad. Craft brewers, instead, are turning to domestic cultivation of ancient grains.

In Baladin's "Nora", an homage to an ancient Egyptian beer recipe, brewer Teo Musso employs Kamut, an ancestor of modern durum wheat. In its recently released amphora-fermented "Etrusca", Lazio-based Birra del Borgo utilizes Saragolla, a wheat introduced to Italy in the 4th century BC.

The same brewery's "Enkir" (above) is a collaboration with Mulino Marino, a Piemontese mill, which seeks out farmers to grow einkorn wheat and other grains. Tuscany's Brùton "Bianca" is brewed with a heritage spelt called farro della Garfagnana. The hopes are the renewed interest in traditional grains will create higher quality products while rejuvenating Italy’s agricultural economy.

As it enters its third decade, the Italian craft beer industry is still in a state of evolution, with hundreds of breweries turning out products of widely varying components and quality yet the greatest successes are found in those that dedicate themselves to harmonizing terroir with international styles."

Katie Parla is a Rome-based food and beverage educator, cultural historian and journalist. She is the author of the blog Parla Food and co-founder of The Rome Digest which recommends places to drink craft beer in the city. Her dining and drinking guides "Katie Parla's Rome" and "Katie Parla's Istanbul" are available in the App Store.

Craft beer and BBQ

Although I regularly recommend wines to pair with barbecue - most recently in my Guardian column - I’m actually an equal fan of beer. In fact I think many types of barbecue work better with it.

It appears that a majority of you agree. Craft beer came out top in a straw poll I put up on my Facebook page last week with almost twice as many votes as the most successful style of wine, a gutsy shiraz. You have to allow, of course, that beer fans are always more ready to fight their corner than winelovers but still . . .

So what kind of beer? It depends who’s coming and what kind of barbecue it is. If it’s all about the event - just a relaxed cook-up for family and friends I’d say the emphasis should be on a beer that’s refreshing and by that I don’t mean an ice-cold flavourless lager (not a popular choice in my poll).

If you’re looking for something different why not try a cloudy witbier or wheat beer, maybe even with a slice of lemon as they serve it in Lille or a citrussy single hop beer made from citra hops. Those would also work well with a seafood barbecue. A seasonal summer beer would be a good one to kick off with too.

For a real crowd-pleaser I’d pick a hoppy IPA, my favourite match with pulled pork and sausages. Amber ales and lagers are also good all-rounders and a saison or saison-style beer should impress any beer geek - a good match for beer-can or barbequed chicken.

With American-style barbecue like slow-cooked ribs or brisket I’d prefer something darker. A brown ale, a dark lager, a stout, porter or even an on-trend black IPA. And if you like to ramp up the smoky flavour you could try a smoked beer but that might be a little too much of a good thing.

You might notice that I’ve mentioned almost every style of beer. The message? Beer goes with barbecue. Period.

Image © saschi79 - Fotolia.com

If you don't agree - or want some wine options - see my article on which wine pairs best with barbecue.

Four (now five!) great craft beer events coming up

One of the most welcome aspects of the craft beer movement is a new wave of beer events that involve learning about and trying different beers rather just than knocking them back in quantity (well, that too but it’s not the main focus . . . ). And they involve food - proper food (hallelujah!)

London Beer Festival (with cheese) June 5th-9th

Next week there’s a five day beer and cheese festival at the Strongroom Bar and Kitchen in Curtain Road in Shoreditch involving 30 London breweries who will be pouring over 60 different beers. There will also be cheese stalls and masterclasses on beer and cheese matching which you can book here. And the festival organisers will unveil a beer brewed to go with cheese called (groan) Camembeer. Right up my street!

Liverpool Craft Beer Expo June 14th-16th

Liverpool’s first craft beer festival takes place mid-June at Camp and Furnace following a similar format to Manchester’s Indy Man Beer Con (see below). Over 80 keg and 50 cask beers are promised along with a ‘dirty food’ menu of burgers, dogs and savoury doughnuts from the Camp & Furnace kitchen and live music from the ‘Beer Barrel Musical Bunker’.

There will also be live brewing demos with participating breweries creating unique beers on site. More details on the festival website. (note the Saturday evening session is already sold out). Follow them on Twitter @LivCraftBeerExp

European Beer Bloggers Conference, Edinburgh July 12th-13th

If you’re a beer blogger - or have aspirations to be one - Edinburgh is the place to be the second weekend in July when it hosts the European Beer Bloggers conference. The same weekend, according to one of my Guardian readers, the CAMRA-organised Scottish Real Ale Festival (from the 11th) and an Edinburgh Independent beer festival (@EIBF) also takes place in the city.

Garrett Oliver is the keynote speaker at the EBBC, there’s a Friday night party and feast at Stewart Brewing and a pre-festival pub crawl on the evening of the 11th organised by the ...er...Department of Awesome.

For more on the Edinburgh beer scene follow local Edinburgh beer blog The Beer Cast

Indy Man Beer Con October 10th-13th

Looking ahead to October there’s the second Indy Man Beer Con in Manchester which this year will stretch over four days from October 10th to the 13th. Same formula as last year - the best of British craft brewers - plus some Italian ones this year - and a slection of food stalls, co-ordinated by Guerilla Eats and a beer and food dinner. I went last year (see my report in the Guardian) and it was a blast. Follow @indymanbeercon on Twitter for updates.

For other UK-based beer events check out Perfect Pint's list of beer festivals. They also have a downloadable free app which shows which beers are being served in a pub near you.

Since I posted this I've heard of another good event:

Birmingham Beer Bash July 26th-27th

Similar formula (nothing wrong with that) - top craft beers, street food, two beer dinners with local restaurants and a 'fringe'. More info on the BBB website.