Pub 2601 p51 driving 21/10/09 10:20 Page 51
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In association with:
Driving Food Business Focus
Beer is as good a match
with food as wine, if not
better in some cases. Here
Dutch brand Grolsch offers
some advice on perfect
pairings
Grolsch is a good match with cheese
Beer with that?
FOOD AND beer have gone together for a long The complexity
time. But now it’s time to get serious, if you really of beer flavours Perfect matches with the
want to ensure you are growing sales of each. can make it a
Mark Hunter, chief executive of Molson Coors, better pair with Royal Grolsch portfolio
recently commented: “The number of on-trade food than wine
outlets leading with food offers will surpass those Grolsch Weizen
1
wet-led outlets by 2018 so it’s increasingly impor- Mushroom paté
tant that we must be able to offer a relevant and Carrot & parsnip pate (veg terrines)
diverse beer portfolio for all food occasions.” Hot smoked salmon (M&S)
But despite this growth in on-trade food occa- Salmon Caesar salad
sions, beer and food matching is not necessarily Indian dishes
growing at the same rate. Research shows that an Grilled scallops – Fresh scallops
2
overwhelming 76 per cent of consumers surveyed marinated in honey and ginger juice
said that they prefer to drink wine with food. and grilled, served on a bed of
This may not come as a huge surprise – after all burnt garlic and red pimento puree
using wine to complement food has been a long fats and flavours of cheeses off the palate, allowing Shrimps Bezule – Crispy fried
tradition, and most of us know the basic rules… for a fuller appreciation and sensory experience. shrimps tossed with mustard
white with chicken and fish, red with beef. But This way of serving is as traditional in Holland as seeds, curry leaves and green
does everyone know how to match beer with food serving biscotti with coffee and at Grolsch we chillies
in the same way? really encourage all retailers to adopt Dutch-style Lasooni fish – Garlic-flavoured
continental drinking to enrich the consumer batter fried fish
Education, education, education experience.
In restaurants sommeliers often help guests find Grolsch
the right wine to drink with their meals. This The big match Roast chicken slices with stuffing
clearly indicates that education around wine has For many years, beer was the main match for food Smoked goose
resulted in it being the more popular choice to pair in Western Europe and there are still many coun- Cheese, pasta, chicken, pies
with food – despite the fact that many wines are tries such as the Czech Republic, Germany and Pork
limited by the relatively short range of flavours Belgium where beer is chosen ahead of wine to Sweet ‘n’ sour
available and their relatively high alcohol content. accompany any meal. Spicy Moroccan stuff, including foods
But it’s fair to say that most people think that So why do we not see beer menus more often in with raisins and sultanas
wine is the ultimate drink for pairing with food, but the UK to help customers pick a beer to match Rough patés and meat terrines
the complexity of beer flavours is much broader some of the great food we serve in pubs? Menus
than any other drink and actually pairs well with that offer a range of beers to pair with different Grolsch Blonde
many foods, including cheese. foods – you wouldn’t expect to see just one wine Any light foods should work with it –
This is why we want retailers to adopt the conti- on a menu so why not match a range of beers things like chicken and white fish,
nental serve and offer Grolsch, served at the table perfectly with your menu. ■ goat’s cheese salad, fish terrine,
with a plate of Dutch cheese, which complements and even sushi.
the beer beautifully. The beer’s carbonation lifts the 1 CGA Data. 2 ICM Survey 2009
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