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Travis Sengaus
2 of 2
Travis Sengaus
Celebrate Chinese New Year with these tasty brews
Chinese New Year originated with the legend of a monster named Nián who would awaken the first new moon of the Chinese calendar year. He would then come down from the mountains to have his New Year’s Eve feast — swallowing people whole. The large creature feared the colours red and gold and was sensitive to loud noises so to scare him away the people would put up red and gold paper and set off firecrackers and fireworks.
These customs led to the first Chinese New Year celebrations or Guò Nián which translates to “Passover of the Nián .” Now the colours red and gold and fireworks just add to the excitement of New Year celebrations. Although the colour red may still scare away evil sprits it now symbolizes happiness and gold symbolizes wealth.
The climax of Chinese New Year usually lasts two days including New Year’s Eve but in some Asian cultures celebrations can extend for 15 days and end with the Festival of Lights an occasion marked by lantern shows and folk dances. Chinese New Year confusingly falls on different dates each year as it is based on the lunar phases but it is usually sometime between January 21 and February 20 . This year’s celebrations fall on February 7.
Each year is represented by one of the 12 animals that comprise the Chinese zodiac. This is the year of the rat. It’s not as bad as it sounds — the rat is the hardest working of all the Chinese zodiac animals a born perfectionist with a very high energy level. People born under this sign are often successful financially and are good providers for their family. It’s a rare thing to see a rat sitting idle and rats have success as business leaders or politicians. (Famous people born during the year of the rat include Truman Capote Prince Charles Sasha Cohen Eminem Peter the Great Mata Hari Mozart Plato Shakespeare Tolstoy and George Washington.)
Seafood is a big part of any Chinese New Year celebration and the often-overlooked Asian lagers are a perfect match for all kinds of seafood dishes. Brewing was first introduced to China by Germans who occupied the port of Tsingtao in the 1890s. It’s easy to see why the Chinese maintained their love of Germanic-style beers as pilsner is great with seafood. The sharp contrast between the creamy delicate texture of seafood and pilsner’s dry crisp finish and effusive carbonation is perfect.
• Tsingtao — It’s China’s leading lager and it is easy to see why. It has the notable hop aroma and bitterness that match the quality of even the most famous Czech and German examples. Tsingtao is a delicate yet assertive lager that can set off its own fireworks when paired with the simplest dim sum dumplings or the spiciest curried crab.
• Singha — This Thai lager has its own mythological lion and dragon-like creature on the label and packs its own spicy fire. It is drier and hoppier than most Asian interpretations of the pilsner style. At six per cent alcohol per volume (APV) this full-bodied malty pilsner can extinguish the fire-breathing flames of whatever hot Asian curry dish it is paired with.
Gung hay fat choy — happy and prosperous New Year to all!
