I love the idea of Christmas in July, because here in Australia Christmas occurs during our summer and a hearty roast with all the trimmings is the last thing we feel like preparing on a hot day. An Australian Christmas lunch usually consists of seafood or a BBQ and then a dip in the pool. Christmas in July means we get to indulge in all of the traditional dishes when we can truly enjoy them – when it’s cold outside! I was recently invited to sample a sneak peak of the Löwenbräu Keller’s Christmas in July menu by Darcie at Zing PR, and on a drizzly Thursday night, I joined some lovely ladies for a fabulous dinner.

We started off with beer, what else! I can never go past the Mango Weissbier and it went down a little too easily after a long day! The entree was a Cream of Mushroom soup, with a dollop of creamy crème fraiche on top, served with warm garlic bread. The soup was served in gorgeous individual tureens and when the lid was lifted, the smell was delicious. In the cosy atmosphere, inside, away from the cold it was the most perfect start to the meal!

Next up, five delicious dishes were brought out to share. But not before five logs were placed onto the table, prompting giggles in regard to our favourite wood-chopping Perfect Italian Man. It was an epic and delicious meat-fest, the exact kind of food I love to eat in winter. First up there were the slow braised lamb shanks, which were beautifully tender and absolutely delicious. Next were the marinated roasted beef cheeks, cooked slowly until they were falling apart under your fork. An interesting dish that I hadn’t tried before was bier goulash, served with giant bread dumplings and crispy onions. I really loved this dish, the epitome of winter comfort food.

Ribs are one of my favourite foods on this earth, so the beef short ribs were definitely going to be a standout for me. These and the beef cheeks are definitely close to being my favourites of the night. Next up was the venison stew, which was served with mushrooms and bread dumplings. I have only recently discovered venison, when we visited a venison farm on our trip to Orange in April and were given some meat to cook with. I loved it, and I also really liked this dish! And dinner at the Löwenbräu wouldn’t be complete without the famed Schweinshaxn, the pork knuckle with sauerkraut and mashed potato, which Suze hacked into with glee, wielding a very large knife. This is what it’s all about – succulent pork and crackling to die for. And really, it wouldn’t be Christmas without pork and crackling!

A few shots of schnapps can make a girl do embarrassing things, and Suze, Darcie and myself were all enlisted into some “audience participation”. There was cow-bell ringing, tuba playing, and in my case, beer drinking! I’m told afterwards that it is a non-alcoholic variety, which is surprising because it actually tasted damn good. The band also plays a hysterical rendition of a Backstreet Boys classic, bringing back long forgotten pre-teen memories.

And then, thankfully my dessert stomach kicked into gear when this delicious dish was placed in front of us. The smell has us positively salivating. We were told that it’s called kaiserschmarrn (thanks Helen, for paying attention as I had too much schnapps by this point), a delicious combination of pancakes, with rum-soaked raisins and almonds, served with little pots of cinnamon ice cream. It is absolutely delicious, especially with the ice cream, and I’m lucky enough to be able to take some of the leftovers home with me after dinner. I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed not to be able to try the gluhwein, but I’ve had more than enough to drink by this point, it was probably for the best!

Christmas in July is on at the Lowenbrau all month, with a different selection of traditional dishes served each week. A huge thanks to Darcie for organizing such a fabulous event! Spicy Icecream dined courtesy of Zing PR and Löwenbräu Keller.

Löwenbräu Keller – Corner of Playfair & Argyle St, The Rocks Sydney