Beer - there’s more to it than just ‘the best long drink in the world’ by Rupert Ponsonby
Brewers themselves hardly rated a mention and were rarely allowed out of their brewhouse. And back labels failed to talk about the flavours of each hop - lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, liquorice or geranium – or the best pairings with everyday foods.
The Coors Beer Naturally advice sheet lists the following as a guide:
• American-style lagers: for slaking thirst and for canapés
• Belgian style wheat beers: so exotically citrussy – for salads, fish terrine, shellfish and lemon chicken
• German style wheat beers: a sweeter style for gammon, pork and sweeter puddings
• Fruit beers: for foie gras, fruit tarts, crème brulées and chocolate puddings
• Citrus-hop pale ales or hop-rich lagers: for roast chicken, pork, fish and chips and mature cheeses
• Spicy lagers: for spicier pastas and pizzas
• Maltier ales or lagers: with sausages, meat pies and creamier cheeses
• Porters or stouts: for oysters, crab or creamy curries
• Old ales and barley wines: of 6% abv+ with Stilton, ripe cheddar or Dundee cake
 The theory of beer & food matching is pretty simple:
a) Match the intensity of the food to the intensity of the beer
b) Either complement or contrast:
Complement
Match the same style of food to the same style of beer. So a creamy food such as chicken korma, oysters, or boeuf bourguignon embraces a creamy beer such as stout. A smooth, sweet, malt-driven beer such as a mild or malty bitter just adores sweet, pork sausages, pork patés or creamy-tasting cheeses. Strong, hoppy beers love strong, tangy cheeses such as mature cheddar.
 Contrast:
Match dark chocolate pudding with a cherry or raspberry beer. A soft St Felicien goats’ cheese with a sweet/sour raspberry beer. Lemon sole with a peppery, citric pale ale.
With such a diverse range of styles, alcohol levels, colours, textures, carbonations, and flavours now available in bottle, the love affair of beer and food is set to begin with high quality beers served in stylish glasses and by knowledgeable staff.
I have a dream.
5 popular myths about beer
MYTH 1: Beer is a male preserve. Wrong. Brewing was the historic preserve of women, the brewster being perhaps more sensitive to flavour than her male counterparts. Beer was known as 'liquid bread', a nourishing food for all the family.
MYTH 2: Beer makes you fat. Wrong. It has zero ratings for fat and cholesterol, and roughly the same calories as a glass of wine. A half pint of 4% abv beer has 95 calories, with 131 calories in a 125ml glass of sparkling wine, or 136 calories in a half pint of soft drinks. (www.drinkaware.co.uk for further info)
MYTH 3: Wine has anti cancer properties (anti-oxidants) but
beer doesn't. Wrong. Hops possess similar anti-oxidants to grapes, and barley provides heaps of B vitamins and fibre.
MYTH 4: Big brand lagers are ‘chemically brewed’. Wrong. All lagers, ales, milds and stouts basically share the same brewing process, (water/cereals/hops/yeast) brewed using natural ingredients.
MYTH 5: All beer is the same. Wrong. Beer's diversity is enormous, from under 2% abv to 25% abv, from almost white to deep black, and with a scintillating range of ingredients.
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