While cask ale is served at cellar temperature, the majority of keg beers are typically enjoyed chilled. However, when pairing beer with food, raising the serving temperature of the beer just a few degrees can have a subtle impact on its interaction with the dish, unlocking deeper flavour nuances and enhancing the overall tasting experience of both. The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association for small and independent American craft brewers, recently demonstrated how American craft beer and the temperature at which it is served can interact with food to create harmonious and memorable flavour profiles.
Taking place at the Manteca restaurant in Shoreditch (EC2A 3PT), the event featured a five-course paired menu curated by Adam Dulye, the executive chef of the Brewers Association, in collaboration with Manteca’s head chef, Chris Leach.
If the beer is too cold, the palate can become numbed and unable to appreciate its full taste profile. Lagers and lighter styles are typically served very cold to maximise refreshment but beers paired with food are an integral part of the dish and the temperature should complement that of the ingredients to enhance the overall dining experience. For example, a 1944 Golden Pale helles bock lager from the Bold Mariner Brewing Co was served chilled, at a lower temperature than a plate of salumi, focaccia and ricotta. The crisp, clean, refreshing character of the beer offset the ambient temperature of the food ingredients, creating a complementary interplay on the palate.
Similarly, Hinterland’s Jamaican Haze IPA was served a few degrees above the normal serving temperature of approximately 7°C. Ice cold temperatures can mute hop aroma and flavour and so IPAs are best served slightly chilled. A cold dish of sea bass crudo with a grilled nectarine salad, shiso and hazelnuts was paired with this IPA where Sabro hops with notes of coconut and lime were showcased perfectly at the slightly warmer temperature.
A successful pairing presents the beer as a natural extension to the dish, both in temperature and flavour, the only difference being that the beer is in a glass, not on a plate. Such was the case with a campanelle pasta dish with duck ragu, paired with Samuel Adams Boston Lager, making a welcome return to the UK after five years.
A rare breed pork chop, fresh cherry mustard sauce, roasted potatoes and salad was up next with Toppling Goliath’s King Sue double IPA that burst with juicy tropical hop notes and was served a few degrees above chilled. Equally harmonious was Coldfire’s Cerise Rouge 2024, a foeder fermented sour blonde base ale aged in white wine barrels then refermented on Montmorency cherries in a meticulous process that takes three years.
And so to a decadent dessert of chilled profiteroles paired with a room temperature imperial oatmeal vanilla porter. This was Virginia Beer Co’s Pinwheel Porter, which showcased flavours of chocolate and vanilla and is brewed with flaked oats to give a creamy mouthfeel. The harmony between the cold chocolate and vanilla cream profiteroles and the beer’s matching flavour profile was striking and made all the more expressive and nuanced by the beer’s warmer serving temperature.
The event clearly demonstrated that American craft beer has limitless food pairing potential not only with flavour synergies but also through thoughtful temperature contrasts. Allowing the beer to warm slightly enhanced the flavours of both beer and food.
The UK is an important export market for American craft beer, accounting for 8.2% of all exports and ranking as the third largest market globally. The style diversity and world class quality of American craft beer make it ideal as a food accompaniment. In the UK, American craft beer is available from Athletic Brewing, Cave Direct Brew Export, Beermerchants.com, Hop the Pond and Cask International. You can also find it in selected bottle shops, supermarkets, bars and pubs.
With thanks to Nic Crilly-Hargrave for the photographs.
Lotte Peplow
Lotte is the Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe. The BA represents over 5,600 independent craft brewers in the USA and its seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA also organises such events as the World Beer Cup, the Great American Beer Festival, the Craft Brewers Conference and American Craft Beer Week. It is also the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. They also promote homebrewing. For more information, go to www.brewersassociation.org.