Honey beers
Fuller's Honeydew is a light-flavoured bitter with a zesty sweet character, due to the addition of honey.
According to Fuller's head brewer John Keeling this is definitely not a gimmick. "Beer lends itself to a wide range of ingredients and, therefore, a large range of flavours," he says, before suggesting that it would accompany relatively light dishes such as chicken satay or tempura prawns with a fruity salsa.
Fruit beers
Some of the more interesting fruit beers come from Suffolk brewerSt Peter's, which produces at least five, including ones flavoured with elderberry, grapefruit and lemon and ginger. It also makes a beer flavoured with nettles instead of hops. They are usually bottled, though some make it into cask. "There's always room in the market for intriguing beers and they're all good with food, with the lemon and ginger beer excellent with spicy dishes," says head brewer Mark Slater, whose own favourite is the grapefruit beer.
Pedro Aparicion at the Canal Inn, Wrantage, Somerset, serves Liefmans' cherry-flavoured Kriek and a strawberry beer on draught. He also stocks bottles of various other fruit beers. I noticed that a lot of typical Smirnoff Ice consumers were drinking these beers, as well as men with their meal. We push the fruit beers with food they are great with duck and light dishes. I also think they might go well with curry. We are currently trying to organise a beer and food night."
Wheat beers
Since the onset of Hoegaarden, the market has seen the influx of both Belgian and Bavarian wheat beers. We have also seen English brewers producing their own versions.
One of the most successful has been O'Hanlon's Wheat Beer, which, according to Liz O'Hanlon, "straddles the bridge between lager and bitter. No bananas and cloves". This is excellent with fish dishes, spicy food and barbecues.
O'Hanlon's also makes an excellent stout flavoured with port, O'Hanlon's Port Stout, which is based on an old Irish hangover cure. Last year it was champion bottle-conditioned beer at the Campaign for Real Ale's Great British Beer Festival and Liz O'Hanlon suggests that it marries well with beef dishes and cheese at the end of the meal.
Both beers are available in cask and bottle.