Lotte Peplow, the Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe, on ideas for Mother’s Day with a twist!
Mother’s Day on 26th March is an important trading day for the hospitality industry but how do you make your outlet stand out from the crowd and offer a point of difference? One idea is to celebrate American craft beer with food and offer mums the chance to sample new and different taste sensations that will surprise and delight.
American craft beer with its bold, complex, full-flavours is the perfect meal accompaniment and it’s never too late for mums to appreciate beer’s flavour packed aroma and taste. Beer is a better partner for food than almost any other beverage due to its wide flavour spectrum and unrivalled versatility. Think about traditional taste preferences and find similar matches, eg:
Canapes – offer a clean, crisp, refreshing perfectly balanced Helles lager, with subtle floral or citrus hop notes and a high level of carbonation, eg. new DC Brau Tuk Tuk Helles lager
Steaks, casseroles, burger, Sunday roast – instead of red wine offer a porter or a stout, a beer that is full-bodied, rich and roasty that mimics the depth of flavour of red wine and pairs well with the types of food red wine usually accompanies, eg Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout
Fish, seafood and shellfish – instead of white wine try a gose with its gentle acidity and slight tartness. This style maybe brewed with fruit additions to add further flavour. For the adventurous offer a witbier with its orange, coriander and peppery kick that will pair well with foods usually associated with white wine eg. Cigar City Frost Proof Belgian Style White
Dessert – a barrel-aged imperial stout or porter is a classic accompaniment to rich, heavy and indulgent desserts and pairs beautifully with chocolate, coffee, mocha or dried fruit puddings. Beers can be aged in a variety of used spirits’ barrels to give a rich depth of flavour and intriguing levels of complexity with bourbon being a classic example. eg. Firestone Walker Parabola
Cheese – beer and cheese is a winning combo. A mild, creamy goats cheese calls for a light, crisp, bready pilsner such as Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils while a strong and salty stilton needs a smooth and mellow stout with a hint of sweetness to match the intensity. Cheddar cheese is perfect with a juicy, tropical hop-forward IPA such as Stone IPA.
American craft beers is available from national wholesalers or direct from Athletic Brewing, or Cascade Club