How Breweries Can Host a Festive Beer & Christmas Cookie Pairing Event
The holiday season is the perfect time for breweries to bring in guests with a cozy, flavorful, and unexpected twist: a Beer & Christmas Cookie Pairing Event. It’s nostalgic, fun, and offers a new way for customers to explore your beer lineup while getting into the festive spirit.
Here’s how your brewery can host a successful beer and cookie pairing event — plus some crowd-pleasing pairing suggestions to get you started.
🍺 Why Host a Beer & Christmas Cookie Pairing?
This event is a great way to:
Showcase the versatility of your beers in a fun, seasonal format.
Attract holiday shoppers and festive friend groups.
Create a memorable, share-worthy experience.
Boost taproom traffic during slower winter evenings.
Whether it's a ticketed tasting or an informal flight-and-cookie tray at the bar, it’s a cozy idea that can scale up or down.
🎄 Planning the Event
1. Choose the Format
Guided Pairing Night: Set up a specific time for guests to join a host who walks them through each beer and cookie pairing.
Self-Guided Flights: Offer a cookie and beer pairing flight all day (or weekend) so guests can participate at their own pace.
2. Bake or Partner
You can:
Bake cookies in-house (especially if you already offer food).
Partner with a local bakery, home baker, or holiday market vendor to supply the cookies.
3. Ticket or Add-On
Options include:
Pre-sold tickets (includes flight and cookie tray).
Add-on to regular beer flights at the bar.
4. Create a Cozy Atmosphere
Add holiday lights, play classic Christmas tunes, and set out festive décor. Maybe even encourage ugly sweaters.
🍪 Suggested Beer & Christmas Cookie Pairings
Here are some classic cookie types and the beers that pair beautifully with them:
1. Gingerbread Cookies + Belgian Dubbel
The warm spices in gingerbread—cinnamon, cloves, and ginger—match perfectly with the dark fruit and caramel notes of a Belgian Dubbel.
2. Sugar Cookies + Cream Ale or Pilsner
Keep it simple: the light, clean taste of a cream ale or crisp pilsner won't overwhelm the sweet vanilla flavors of the sugar cookie.
3. Peanut Butter Blossoms + Milk Stout
The chocolate and peanut butter combo plays beautifully with a creamy milk stout’s roasted and sweet flavors.
4. Snickerdoodles + Hefeweizen
Snickerdoodles have cinnamon and a hint of tang — which goes great with the clove and banana esters in a traditional hefeweizen.
5. Thumbprint Cookies + Fruited Sour or Gose
The jam-filled center of these cookies pairs wonderfully with a tart, fruit-forward beer that enhances the fruity bite.
6. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies + Imperial Stout or Porter
Rich chocolate cookies need a bold, roasty counterpart. A strong stout or porter will bring out cocoa, coffee, and dark fruit notes.
7. Shortbread + Barrel-Aged Beer
The buttery simplicity of shortbread allows a big, boozy barrel-aged beer (like a bourbon barrel stout or barleywine) to shine without overwhelming the palate.
🛍️ Extras to Make it Special
To-Go Cookie & Beer Boxes: Sell flight-size bottles/cans and cookies to go.
Holiday Glassware or Merch: Offer branded mugs, ornaments, or shirts.
Photos with Santa or Krampus: A fun way to draw more people in, especially families or friend groups.
