Food & Beer

It used to be so easy. You went to a pub to drink and to a restaurant to eat. It was expected that you drank beer as an event in itself and you had wine with food. These days, there are bars that look like restaurants but don't serve food and there are pubs that look like restaurants and sell more food and wine than beer.

As wine lists grow so do the explanations given about wines. There is a bigger range of beers on the market now but it's disappointing that few lists tell you what they taste like, what foods they would combine well with, where they come from etc.

There's a big difference between the effect on your palate of a sparkling lager and a rich stout or from a light alcohol to full strength beer. Sweetness varies as does the depth of bitterness according to the amount of hops the brewer has added.

Here's some well known beers from the Fosters stable and the foods they complement -

Carlton Cold, 4.9% alc/vol crisp, full-strength, cold-filtered beer with a light hop finish. Combine with - antipasto, charcuterie, tandoori, barbecues, cheddar cheese

Matilda Bay Premium Pils, 4.9%alc/vol classic, full-strength Pils beer, malt character, spicy hop bitterness. Combine with - smoked meats, casseroles, lighter sauces, fish creamy sauces.

Cascade Premium, 5.2%alc/vol light, European-style lager, developed hop character, distinctive bitterness. Combine with - roast meats, grilled seafood, Swiss style cheeses, plum or quince tarts

Crown Lager, 4.9% alc/vol creamy fruitiness, malty mid palate, hop finish. Combine with - rich sauced meats, Chinese, Indian and Mediterranean flavours

Carlton Premium Dry, 5% alc/vol a soft beer balanced by lower sweetness and a gentle hop finish.. Combine with - antipasto, apple pie, chicken, poached or roasted; fish grilled or pan-fried, Japanese, seafood

Victoria Bitter, 4.9% alc/vol full strength dark beer, malty with hop bitterness at finish. Combine with - barbecues, roasts, smoked meats, fish and chips, pickles, cheddar cheese.

See also this piece on matching beer and food