Winter is dry, cold and, for someone like me with the chills, a rather trying season. I’m not at all a fan of the cold. But that doesn’t mean I hate winter—I’m actually a little partial to it.
I suspect my romance with winter probably has something to do with coming in from the cold to a warm home or curling up under a futon to warm myself. I also like gazing out the window at snow falling. I must admit, I think I like winter when I can enjoy it from someplace warm.
What does winter bring to mind? Sitting around a warm nabe pot with friends, eating and carousing into the night—it’s a happiness like no other. We drop our favorite vegetables and meat into the stew and carry on until late, gossiping between bites. Cod and yellowtail alone just don’t cut it for winter. Give me Chinese cabbage, onions, leeks, sprouts and carrots. Some ground chicken will do just fine, thank you. Oh yes, and splurge on crabmeat. What do I want to drink with it? Beer, if you even have to ask. It’s a necessity, not an option.
Ah, winter; ah, nabe—sake is great for that, but drinking beer in winter is delicious in a way quite different from that of summer. It’s not at all like that kick on gulping it down and that refreshing feeling that you want in summer. In winter, you want to take it slow and really savor the beer. I think it’s a great season for drinking. IPA, with its bitter bite of hops, not to mention porter, with its characteristic roast malts, seem perfect. Eating seasonal vegetables and drinking delicious beer makes all the talk with friends that much better.
Finally, after we’ve eaten everything that went into the nabe, there is of course the rice—we make an egg-flavored risotto out of it in the nabe. It is, needless to say, divine. Speak of true craving, and after finishing, I’m always happy to have some slightly sweet dessert. No matter how full I am, dessert always goes to another stomach (wink). It’s weird how much of it you can still eat. Except that…it’s not dessert that I want. A little high-alcohol beer, like some barley wine, will do just fine for dessert. Tasting that sweetness and slight bitterness while feeling that extra boost of alcohol sends me soaring to yet another level of beer bliss.
No matter how cold it is outside, if I have close friends, delicious food and delicious beer, then I’m warm from the top of my head to the ends of my toes. And make no mistake: I’m as happy as can be.
by Masaki Megumi
This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.