Bringing out the best in beer

Want to sell more speciality beer, but not sure how? Noli Dinkovski gets advice from beer Sommelier Marc Stroobandt

Did you know the Belgians named white beer as such because they misinterpreted the German name for wheat? And were you aware that the bottled lager and lime craze only started because Mexicans used the citrus fruit to block out flies?

Well, if you did, then you have probably spent half an hour with Marc Stroobandt, the Belgian-born beer sommelier who has been sharing his entertaining anecdotes in pubs the length and breadth of the country as part of his Speciality Beer Masterclass.

Working on behalf of InBev, producer of Hoegaarden, Leffe and the ubiquitous Artois beers, Stroobandt has been demonstrating how to add value to speciality and imported beers by teaching licensees and their bar staff the correct way to prepare and serve them. And going by the enthusiasm with which he talks about his endeavours he is clearly a man on a mission.

"We need to stir a debate in pubs and bars," says Stroobandt. "The key thing is to teach bar staff to be confident when talking about beer - that includes everything from its look and taste, to its smell and type.

"Customers are making more discerning choices when buying beer and want to be guided by bar staff into trying new things. There is a huge opportunity for the on-trade," he adds.

Stroobandt defines speciality beers as those that are brewed in their country of origin, standing out through their authentic brewing heritage, special ingredients and unique brewing methods. He defines five main varieties: blonde, white, amber, fruit, and dark, and is keen to dispel any myths about them.

"Many believe that lighter-coloured beers are lower in abv, but that's a misconception," says Stroobandt. "Hoegaarden Grand Cru, for instance, is a blonde beer with a fruity aroma yet it has an abv of 8.5%."

To improve standards, Stroobandt wants licensees to think about the temperature of the beer - something that can only be done through constant monitoring. Furthermore, he stresses the importance of having clean, branded glassware available all the time.

The serve itself is dependent on the type of beer that is being served, but Stroobandt says the secret is getting the size of the head right to allow the drinker to receive the maximum benefit of the aromas while having no detriment to the taste. This applies whether the beer is served from the bottle or draught.

"With some beers, such as Hoegaarden Grand Cru and our fruit beer Belle-Vue Kriek, it is enough just to pour them into the glass at an angle to allow foam to fully develop," says Stroobandt. "Others require a little bit more work. With bottled Hoegaarden Witbier for instance, you pour two-thirds of the beer and let a head develop, while swirling the remainder of the beer in the bottle, invigorating the sediment that collects at the base. You then pour in the final third, giving the beer its consistency."

InBev UK has gradually been phasing in new fonts for its La Famille Artois beers - Stella, Bock and Peeterman - to enable bar staff to create the perfect serve as well as reduce wastage.

At the same time complementary branded chalice glassware has started to appear in pubs. InBev claims the chalice shape keeps beer 23% colder than standard pint glasses after 10 minutes, while also helping to retain the flavour of the beer.

This summer, InBev took its quality initiatives a stage further by launching L'Academie Artois - a three-level training programme aimed at teaching both novice and experienced staff a greater appreciation of Artois beers. It also offers practical guidelines on the correct pouring ritual and how to pair the beers with food.

It is an ambitious project. InBev aims to visit and train in more than 1,000 outlets by the end of the year. "L'Academie Artois will help to create motivated and informed staff who will serve Artois beer well on a consistent basis," says InBev UK commercial and field operations managing director Steve Kitching. "This will help to ensure happy consumers and encourage more of them to re-visit the outlet."

According to Stroobandt, this type of education is essential if pubs and bars are to make a success of selling speciality and imported beer: "Too many outlets take short cuts when selling beer, and all they are doing is creating a false economy. Serving these types of beers requires training and skill and it's time that

licensees recognised that."

How to serve...

Leffe

In a branded chalice glass at 3°C to 5°C.

Bottled: Pour into glass at an angle to allow foam to fully develop.

Draught: Position the glass at 45° so that the beer hits the inside of the glass.

Gradually lower and straighten the glass to allow a head of foam to fully develop. Turn off the tap in one smooth motion, allow the beer to settle, and check that it rises to the calibration line. Present the glass with the stained glass window facing the customer.

Hoegaarden

In a branded hexagonal glass at 3ºC

to 5ºC.

Bottled: Pour two-thirds into the glass at an angle. Pause pouring and swirl the bottle. Complete the pour at an angle, allowing the foam to fully develop.

Draught (standard font): Position glass so that when the tap is opened the beer hits the inside of the glass at the collar level.

Keep the tap open until the head arches just above the rim of the glass. Turn off the tap in one smooth motion, allow the beer to settle and check it rises to the calibration line. Present the glass, holding it by the lower part, with the logo facing the customer.

How to pair speciality beer with food

When beer sommelier Marc Stroobandt is visiting pubs with his Speciality Beer Masterclass, beer and food matching is always high on the agenda.

Stroobandt, who also hosted a series of Leffe Masterclasses at Taste Festivals staged during the summer, says beer and food can be matched together in a number of ways.

"Generally, light beer goes with light food and darker beer with stronger food, but licensees shouldn't be scared to experiment," he says, suggesting that Leffe should be matched with light snacks such chicken satay and hoisin sauce or fried chicken nuggets with sour cream dip.

Rather than imposing menu choices on the pub, Stroobandt takes the existing foods on the menu and matches them with the beers on offer. "It is important that the food does not overpower the beer, and vice versa, and that the result is an enhanced experience with people still able to taste both," he says.

One pub that has hosted a tasting is the Punch-owned Black Horse in Reigate, Surrey. Licensee David Stanley invited regulars along for the session to see what they thought of the beer and food combinations, and he received a very positive response.

"Feedback was tremendous," says Stanley. "It's not about pushing these combinations into customers' faces, rather a case of making subtle suggestions. Too many people have blinkers on when it comes to beer. I hope this goes some way to changing that."