Food For Thought
The modern pub is not just a place to go and have a pint or two after work as it used to be, times have changed. Over the years the pub trade has come to understand that offering good food with the perfect drink not only brings in new trade from families, or work colleagues out during lunch breaks and after a long day at work, but also keeps your regulars at your establishment for longer.
It has to taste right
The modern Food & Beer connoisseur needs more than a quick browse of the menu and a look along the hand pulled beers available in your bar, they want staff who are more knowledgeable about the products they sell, they like to have someone gently steer them towards a great flavour combination. This is where staff training in Food & Beer pairing comes into play.
The best way to train staff in Beer & Food pairings is to enrol them on a training course accredited by bodies such as The Beer Academy, but in this article we hope to give you some pointers to help get you going in the right direction.
Bitter
The good old British Bitter is good to serve with a wide range of foods, from Traditional Sunday roast’s and Yorkshires puddings with all the other trimmings, through to the weekly fish supper. It can also work well if served with traditional English puddings and cakes.
India Pale Ale (IPA)
This type of beer is a very light hoppy beer that is one of the first beer styles to be exported to India, therefore it is safe to pair with hot and spicy foods (after all it is a classic ale to enjoy with your curry). It works well with very sweet flavour foods as well.
English Strong Ales
A bit more meaty than a pale ale while being less overpowering than a stout or barley wine style beer, this type of beer works best with hale, hearty and rich food, such as roast beefs, rich game pies or lamb.
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London Porter
The strong smokey taste of a London porter is an excellent accompaniment to smoked meats and fish, think a good strong sausage or BBQ blackened food. It will also work well with strong chocolate flavours.
Stouts
In a similar way to Porters, this beer style can very easily devour lighter flavours, so you need to go for something strong and powerful, think rich pâté or game birds strongly smoked or BBQ’d. Again this style works well with strong chocolate flavours.
Blondes & Pilsners
These are more delicate beers with a very light taste and aroma, as such they will be best with lighter, more delicate foods, think chicken salad, light fish such as salmon or white fish, along with mild citrus and fruity flavours.
Wheat Beers
Light and slightly cloudy (due to not being filtered), wheat beers are best served with sea foods and shellfish, think of it as the light white wine of the beer world!
Having knowledgeable staff who can help steer customers towards new flavour combinations is a sure-fire way to boost customer loyalty and get a good reputation for great customer service.
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