A growing appetite for beer with food

Until recently, it was more or less unheard of to order beer or lager with anything but a curry. Typically, we think of wine as the ‘right’ drink to serve with a meal.

However, the growing popularity of cask ale, coupled with an increasing number of outlets serving food in order to attract fresh faces through the door, has seen something of a shift taking place.

So how do you identify the best brew to accompany your meal? The greater choice of lagers, beers and stouts on the market means there is a perfect flavour match for whatever is on the menu, from delicately flavoured starters to traditional dishes, spicy flavours and even desserts.

Of course, an element of which beer to choose will be down to personal taste; you may simply not enjoy a full-bodied porter, or a light, citrusy wheat beer. Yet there are a few basic principles to consider which to a certain extent mirror the pairing process employed when selecting a wine.

Flavours – compare and contrast

Unlike wine, which relies on the characteristics of the various grapes for flavour, there are a number of factors which affect how a beer tastes. Barley adds sweetness, hops bring bitterness and yeast lends the distinctive ‘bready’ flavour. Even the choice of cask can influence the taste, as can the addition of different spices.

Some aspects of food and beer interact with each other as you would expect. The bitterness from hops and the roasted malt interact well with very sweet or rich food, while the bubbles in beer or lager can cut through the richness of dishes with a high-fat content, such as pizza.

Similarly, a sweet, malty beer will balance the spiciness of a curry, Thai or Mexican dish, while the hops bring out the heat of food containing chilli.

Tried and tested flavour combinations include a nutty brown ale with strong cheese, while stout has long been paired with oysters – the salty tang of the seafood contrasts perfectly with the strong, chocolatey flavour of the beer.

Unlike pairing wine with food, which can have a certain amount of snobbery attached, there are no hard and fast rules about which beer should accompany your meal. Experiment with flavours to discover which work best for you.

Whatever your combination, one thing should be consistent – the quality of the beer itself. Unless the drink is served in premium condition, through clean lines and at the correct temperature, the effect will be ruined. You don’t want your fish and chips to arrive cold and on a dirty plate; equally, your accompanying beer should be served at the right temperature and in the correct branded glassware.