Winning pairs

Matching the right beer with the right kind of food offers a great opportunity for pubs and restaurants to increase profits. John Porter reports.

Most UK consumers first experience the delights of matching beer with food when they enjoy a spicy curry with a cold lager.

While this remains a core part of the market, tastes have broadened and brewers are fighting hard to claim back the ground lost to wine lists on many fronts.

Graham Archibald, senior national account manager with world beer importer, the Morgenrot Group, says: "I think more outlets are promoting beer and food matching and that consumers are taking it more seriously than ever. Consumers are becoming more educated on the intricacies of beer in general in terms of the different styles."

Better travelled consumers with more sophisticated palates are a big factor, says Archibald. "Consumers not only want the beer they drank on holiday, but they want the food to go with it. If people are eating tapas in the UK after they have been to Spain, they want a Cruzcampo to drink with it for the full experience."

In that spirit, Italian beer business Birra Moretti is currently focusing on its gastronomic credentials through a link with Italian restaurant group Locale, offering a trip to Tuscany as a prize for diners at the fi ve London Locale restaurants.

The beer is also to be an ingredient in new recipes on Locale's summer menu launching in June. Designed by the Caldesi Cookery School, the recipes feature Birra Moretti in dishes such as marinated chicken, pineapple and pancetta skewers, and pear and beer fritters with cinnamon dusting and vanilla dipping sauce.

Another Italian inspired operator, PizzaExpress, is now serving draught Aspall Suffolk Cyder in all 384 of its outlets following a successful trial in eight of them at the end of last year.

Aspall commercial director Geoff Bradman says: "We were delighted with the results of last year's trial which really demonstrates that those who taste Aspall Suffolk Cyder for the first time appreciate how different it is from the more mainstream brands."

Sanjay Sighat, Indian development chef at The Authentic Food Company, believes the growth of sharing platters extends to matching beer with spicy food.

"It isn't just extra hot Indian food that goes with beer – another great combination is poppadoms and beer; the effervescence of the malted beer with warm poppadoms, pickle and chutney is a great taste sensation and a perfect snacking option."

Wiltshire brewer Wadworth & Co also highlights beer as an ingredient, with catering development manager Scott Ferguson and head brewer Brian Yorston producing a book highlighting ale based recipes. These include 6X onion soup, Bishops tipple beer battered brie, and beer and rum ice cream with blueberries and chocolate chips.

Christine Evers, marketing product manager at Wadworth, says: "Ale is excellent for cooking as it not only imparts a rich depth of original flavour but, with a vast range of ales, the variety of tastes and styles available make it perfect for a line up of dishes from starters through to desserts."

Kent brewer Shepherd Neame regularly holds beer and food matching evenings at its pubs, with the pub chefs challenged by senior brewer Stewart Main to come up with dishes that match not only the brewery's classic British ales, but also the range of global beers it brews under licence.

Main says: "It is a chance for diners to discover how well Shepherd Neame beer goes with some delicious food. I talk about the brewing process and the particular attributes of the beer, so it is an interactive, educational and entertaining evening."

At a recent beer and food evening at The Sun Inn, Faversham, matches ranged from Hurlimann lager served with pan fried fillets of sea bass and a mussel and crayfish paella to Whitechapel Porter with chocolate and black cherry pudding and clotted cream.

Warwickshire based craft brewery Purity works with operators to produce bespoke speciality beer lists matched to flavours on the menu. The beer menus aim to cater for the growing number of customers who prefer an interesting beer over wine as a food pairing.

Purity offers full support in implementing the menu, from suggesting a range of beer and writing tasting notes, to providing complimentary glassware and relevant point of sale.

Its team also provides staff training sessions on best presentation of the beer and how to advise customers on matching it with food. The idea has been embraced by Birmingham's Michelin starred restaurant, Beef in Kenilworth, which is headed by chef Andreas Antona.

He was one of the first among Purity customers to offer a bespoke beer menu.

Antona says: "Our beer sales in both restaurants have seen impressive growth since we started working with Purity. The staff training was crucial and we've received excellent feedback from inspired customers."