In a time when we are all facing the harsh realities of a declining global economy, one of the big food and wine trends for 2009 predicted by thefoodpeople, a British-based food trend consultancy, is a shift in drinking habits with more in-home drinking as well as a rise in the popularity of beer, cider and cocktails. Flavor & The Menu magazine, a publication specializing in trends and forecasts in the food industry, predicted that the top culinary trend of 2009 would be “Tapping Beer’s Potential,” writing ”now that beer is the new wine, thanks to a flood of new craft beer products and imports, chefs are creating menus that match beer lists in their complexity and casual-yet-sophisticated approcah to pub food.” Also, just this past Friday, Eric Asimov of the NYTimes ran a story on a $35 barrel-aged bottle of beer called Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien. He says that many luxury beers like this one go well with foods ranging from seafood and cheeses to chocolate. In what may be a sign of the times, or just sheer coincidence, Daniel Boulud’s NYC flagship restaurant Daniel just announced its first ever beer-pairing dinners set for January 27 and 28th. The email says that these luxury beer dinners are in anticipation of the Spring ‘09 opening of DBGB, Boulud’s more casual and hip ‘brasserie meets luxe diner’ in the Avalon Bowery Place apartment building. People had speculated that DBGB would be a burger place akin to BLT Burger. Boulud dispelled those rumors in this NYPost interview back in September. Find out more on the beer-pairing dinners and other food and drink trends for 2009 after the jump…

The beer tastings at Restaurant Daniel will feature Kasteel Cru’s Alsatian lager in addition to signature cocktails made with beer. The dinner opens with these beer-infused cocktails followed by a four-course dinner paired with luxury beers. The dinners are hosted by Samuel Merritt, President of the so-called ‘Civilization of Beer,‘ and go for $135 per person (not including tip or gratuity).

Oh yeah, in case you were wondering what some of the other predicted food trends are for 2009, click here and here.

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