Abroad choice

Italian and Indian foods are the latest links with beer.

We're used to Germans and Belgians telling us to drink their beer with our food but, with the obvious exception of Nastro Azzurro in pizza houses, you don't often hear the Italians saying it.

One reason why they drink beer with food in Belgium is because the local wines can be less than appetising. But in Italy there's a fantastic supply of some of the world's most beautiful wines. Surely beer doesn't get a look in on the restaurant table?

Yet there is a fine tradition of beer and food in Italy, and the brewers of Birra Moretti are bringing the message to Britain.

The brand, owned by Heineken, was launched in the UK late last year as a premium-end continental beer of the kind to be sipped and savoured.

Links have been developed with Italian universities, chefs, authors and agricultural and culinary institutes to promote the idea of food and beer matching. In particular, a certain Dr Giorgio Colli has been promoting the suitability of drinking Italian beer with a variety of dishes.

Researchers found out in 1999 that 57 per cent of Britons "want to try authentic foreign food and drink". If that was the figure then, it's anyone's guess what it would be today.

Italian food has been big in this country for ages and we are learning more about it all the time.

It's on just about every pub menu there is and almost everyone cooks it at home. Half of UK consumers say it's their favourite ethnic food.

Birra Moretti distributor Ubevco is seeking to take advantage of this in its bid to build the brand around the country. It plans to use food to help pubs increase sales while at the same time developing the reputation of the brand slowly and carefully.

Both bottled and draught versions are available, which is good news for food pubs, and Dr Colli's recommendations on what to eat with Moretti cover a wide variety of dishes - English as well as Italian - which he says can enable pubs to introduce a wide audience to beer with food.

Dr Colli's basic rules of beer and food matching:​

• each type of beer goes only with some specific meals
• strong ales and stouts best accompany structured/spicy meals. These beers are soft, smooth, and mild-bodied and complement the strong flavours in the food
• lagers and white beers are more suitable to matching less complex recipes, with round flavours without spices, or with goat's cheese.

Dr Colli's recommendations for Birra Moretti:​

• antipasti
• risotto
• meat ravioli
• poached fillet of salmon
• rabbit stew
• roast beef
• camembert
• milder Asian food.

Indian beers curry favour​

If there is one place where beer is considered a natural accompaniment to food it is in the curry house.

A pint of lager is wet enough and cold enough to tackle a vindaloo - even though the experts might not consider that most lagers have the flavour profile to hold their own against hot, spicy dishes.

In the early days of British curry it was brands such as Carlsberg Export that grabbed a spot on the counter. But now it's Indian-style beers that have taken over.

Kent brewer Shepherd Neame has successfully exploited the opportunity for many years with brewed-under-licence Kingfisher. More recently, though, it's Cobra that has begun to carve out a distinct niche for itself as a beer to drink with curry.

Cobra Beer was, in fact, specifically created with food in mind. As a student at Cambridge, Cobra's founder and chief executive Karan Bilimoria dreamed of developing a less gassy lager that would complement spicy food rather than fight against it, and appeal to ale drinkers and lager drinkers alike.

So Cobra was designed to combine a full-flavoured taste with smooth drinkability. The theory is that because it is less gassy drinkers can enjoy both their meal and their lager without getting too bloated - and they can eat more!

Presentation has also been a consideration. At the table, Cobra's double-sized 660ml bottles can be shared over a meal like a bottle of wine, and the embossed design on the glass, telling the story of the brand, can be a talking point if the conversation runs out.

Cobra is taking the brand beyond the Indian restaurant, promoting its suitability with spicy foods in pubs and bars. It has already become one of the best-selling premium lagers at the Eagle in Farringdon, London, considered to be the UK's first gastropub.

Recently, the Eagle worked with Cobra to develop two dishes made with the beer - a Brazilian pork stew and a vegetable pancake with a ragout (pictured)​.