Modern matchmaking
As the smoking ban approaches, beer and food-matching is becoming a hot topic. Jo Grobel looks at how suppliers are trying to make their mark
Suppliers are hoping speciality beers will grow even more next year when the smoking ban comes into force and the emphasis on matching food and beer gathers momentum.
Duvel Moortgat UK manager Nick Short says: "By far the biggest opportunity for 2007 will be beer and food matching. With the advent of the smoking ban, the focus on food means that licensees should think about their beer list as well as their wine list in conjunction with menus.
"Consumers are happy to pay more for a drink while enjoying good food - and for many, an authentic 330ml bottle of speciality beer in a branded glass for £3.95 seems an attractive proposition alongside a 250ml glass of wine at a similar price."
He says that while it is taken as gospel that a dry white wine is an excellent accompaniment to fish, a blonde beer is rarely recommended with fish or white meat.
More potential than wine
Even top restaurants are recognising beer's potential to offer a better match for food than wine.
Chef Richard Fox, of London's Chelsea restaurant Aubergine, says: "The type of food we are eating is changing - 15 years ago the popular style of food was fake French bistro-type cooking but now we have moved back to regional cooking, often choosing ingredients from farmers' markets because people want local produce.
"It makes sense to match dishes such as pork loin shanks with beer, as the two complement each other so well."
To create the best matches, Fox suggests joint tastings between front and back-of-house staff: "Make sure that kitchen staff are fully involved in the tasting.
"They will have an opinion about which beers are likely to go well with the food they are preparing and welcome the chance to make recommendations."
The idea of food and beer matching is becoming more mainstream and several pubcos are launching tie-ups. All Bar One is selling half pints of InBev's cherry beer, Belle Vue Kriek, with a bar of chocolate and Tiger beer has teamed up with Punch Taverns to recommend different beers with certain meals. Matches include Tiger with battered prawns and Old Speckled Hen with sausage and mash.
Authentic combinations
Birra Moretti, imported by Heineken for two years, also works with licensees to create authentic Italian meals to match with the beer.
Moretti's brand development manager
Sarah O'Shaughnessy says: "We're working with an Italian cookery school in Tuscany to create six Italian recipes for pubs, such as Risotto a la Birra and smoked tuna salad."
Next year Moretti will offer menu deals in certain pubs, featuring free beer with Italian meals. Suppliers are searching for world beers designed to be drunk with food. And last month Carlsberg brought the Danish beer Jacobsen to the UK.
Specifically designed with food in mind, Bramley Wit and Saaz Blonde beers were launched in Denmark in 2005.
Saaz Blonde is the ideal accompaniment to chicken or lamb and Bramley Wit's abv of 4.6% and higher carbonation level make it a refreshing aperitif or drink to cool the palate, which lends itself well to Thai or fish dishes. It is designed to be shared with food and is served in branded, stemmed glassware.
Traditional links
Importer Pierhead has recently added beers to its range, designed to be served with food and includes Anchor Smooth from Singapore, a 4.5% abv full-bodied pilsner providing an ideal accompaniment to southeast Asian dishes; Czech 5% abv lager Gold Bohemia, often served with salads and cold meats, and the French Jenlain - a blonde ale brewed by Brasserie Duyck in the Northern French village of Jenlain.
The 6% abv beer is often offered as an aperitif before a meal.
But beer and food-matching is actually nothing new - even in the Communist days, many pubs in the former Czechoslovakia served local beers such as Budvar with food.
And many speciality beers have already built up associations with the cuisine common to their place of origin, such as Tiger's link with Indian food, Corona with Mexican meals and Tsing Tao with Chinese fare.
A Licensee's perspective on THE benefits of combining speciality beer and food
Andy Stickland bought the Punch-owned Coach & Horses in Worthing, West Sussex in February this year and opened in July following refurbishment.
Speciality beers have always been an important part of Stickland's business.
He explains: "We wanted to provide
variety in terms of food and flavours, as everyone has different tastes.
"Many of our customers have drunk speciality beers in London bars, but for those who don't know much about beer, we offer quite a lot of sampling. If they enjoy a particular beer, they'll take the plunge and buy it.
"Price has never been an issue - I charge £1.75 for a half pint of Leffe - that's 20p more than a half of Stella. For Staropramen, I can charge £3.15 - a 40p premium on Carling, which sells at £2.70.
"People are happy to pay that little bit extra for premium-quality beer. We also have all the branded glasses and the right accessories - having the whole package is a priority. It also helps that my customers value quality over quantity."
