… what … more beer again this week Ted? Yes but wait … this
time it’s a “Food meets Beer” coming together at the fabulous Borough market. A summer weekend
festival of beer and food matching with education of the fun type galore – beer
safaris, cooking demonstrations, brewers and beer guru’s including the renowned Melissa Cole “SommALEier” talking about beer, and of course lots of beer and
food to sample, consume, and take home.
There was only one small problem … while it might officially
be summer calendar-wise it certainly wasn't weather-wise, and not even the most
patriotic and weather hardened Londoner could pretend otherwise. It was freezing - 12 degrees celsius - 53 for
you farenheighters!!! Look at what the people are wearing ...winter clothes!!! I had to keep changing the hand I was holding my beer in
as it was freezing my hand (probably ever so slightly dramatic there Ted). In the interests of education I soldiered on and learnt amongst
other things that hops once picked must be dried within a matter of days or
they will rot. 
Today the majority of the brewers use hop pellets which are much
more concentrated than their dried leafy equivalents and have the added
advantage of not leaving a wet mulch of hop residue at the bottom of the
fermenter that has to be cleaned out by hand before the next batch can be
brewed.
They were kind enough to provide some food and beer pairing principles
for guidance. Like wine pairing you can choose complement or contrast as your starting point - and then consider the flavours, fat, acid, etc and the weight of
the beverage for the food.
Along with the many traditional combinations
like cheese and charcuterie I found some pretty interesting suggested “meetings”
like freshly shucked oysters with London Brewing pHuchsia, a slightly sour
cherry and raspberry beer to contrast with the sweetness of the oysters. Then there
was lemon cheesecake with Wild Goose Chase farmhouse ale brewed with
gooseberries giving tart flavours to offset the creaminess of the cheesecake,
and beer caramels made with Fourpure Amber Ale accompanied by the same ale for
the perfect complement.
Food (and beer) for thought isn't it …
Food (and beer) for thought isn't it …
3 comments:
I think I'd have to take a pass on the taste testing. I'm not all that fond of beer but, oysters and champagne would draw me in.
Oh that's great, it's a very interning piece...
Even with cool weather, it sounds like you enjoyed it.
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