Top 4 Christmas beers to curl up with over the holidays

Wine may be the usual pairing for Christmas dinner, but B.C.'s many craft breweries offer a wide variety of beers that are perfect for the holiday season.

North by Northwest beer columnist Mattthew McFarlane, an associate producer with CBC News, joined host Sheryl MacKay to list his favourite brews to curl up with by the fire.

And speaking of fire, McFarlane said these beers taste better if they're warmed up a little — perhaps using a wood stove.

"You want a little bit of coldness to it, but not much, I'd say 15 degrees," he said.

"If you do have a wood stove, put it in a glass and stick it on the wood stove, for a minute. Just a minute, and let it get that warmth in there, because it really does to a lot for it."

Here are McFarlane's suggestions:

Beechwood Smoked Honey Dopplebock from Steel and Oak

"A dopplebock is a German type of lager … but this is really as far flung from what you think of a lager. It's a very dark, dark lager. This beer has candy-like qualities, honey. It's a smoked beer, but it doesn't dominate. This is a great gift for the beer fanatic. It's not for everyone, as it is quite an intense beer.

"Forget the cookies and milk for Santa … if Santa wants a beer, this has got him covered."

Sleigh Booster Imperial Red Ale from Bridge Brewing

"It's extra strong. It clocks in at nine per cent, so we're getting into wine category here. It's bound to get you seeing plenty of stars of wonder. It's boozy, you can taste the alcohol, but it's to be expected. It's has a barley-like wine feel to it. And yet this one has a lot of hops in it."

Winter's Own Weizenbock from Longwood Brewery

"Weizenbock is a wheat beer. Lots of candy characteristics in this one, it was almost like a Belgian triple. A rich, rich beer, but a lot lighter in colour and texture. I had it with some cookies, and it worked really well. Gingersnaps, shortbread, it just complimented it. So I think of it as a dessert beer."

Black Stone Porter from Driftwood Brewing

"It's gorgeous, it's elegant, it's refined, a wonderful thickness to it. Its also not very sweet, which I thought was interesting. A lot of porters and stouts can be quite sweet, this one actually didn't have a lot of sweetness.

"This kind of beer you want it to be warmer so you can allow your taste buds to fully appreciate it, because it's got a lot going on."

To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelled: Beer columnist Matthew MacFarlane recommends some seasonal brews to curl up with by the fire