Beer and food matching: Match pint

Some reputations take some living up to, and even the most ardent beer pundit might think twice about being dubbed 'the Beer Messiah'. Not so Rupert...

Some reputations take some living up to, and even the most ardent beer pundit might think twice about being dubbed 'the Beer Messiah'.

Not so Rupert Ponsonby, who is relishing the title, which has been thrust upon him by the All Bar One chain, as well as the responsibilities that go with it.

As a noted beer writer, marketer and co-founder of the Beer Academy, Rupert's credentials for divine status in the brewing world would be hard to deny. The tongue-in-cheek billing is part of a campaign by Mitchells & Butlers-owned All Bar One to give its customers more insight into the range of speciality beers available at the chain.

Customers at selected All Bar One outlets are being invited to take part in tutored beer and food matching session, with five classic beers matched to food selected from the bar chain's menu.

Jennie Heaps, the All Bar One brand manager, says: "This was an idea that came out of a meeting with Miller Brands. With the objective to educate consumers on the wide range of beers available at All Bar One, and with Pilsner Urquell and Peroni Nastro Azzurro being at such different extremes in terms of taste profile and familiarity, we decided to partner together and enable our guests to sample and compare and contrast an excellent range of beers paired with food.

As well as Peroni and Pilsner Urquell from the Miller stable, the All Bar One beer menu provided Kastell Kru, Worthington White Shield, and Duvell Green. "Rupert Ponsonby guided myself and the Miller Brands team through premium beers from our range which perfectly accompanied our selected range of food. We spent a couple of good fun evenings pairing the range of beers with the food offerings."

Each bar host about four tasting sessions in an evening, with between 8 and 10 customers per session. Making the most of the informal bar setting, Rupert encourages then to compare and contrast the different flavours, and start to appreciate the complexity and range of flavours different beers provide.

Although there has been a good mix of male and females customers at the sessions, one encouraging note has been the number of younger women attending - a demographic both brewers and pub groups would love to see drinking more beer.

"It's actually quite good to talk about beer and food to a group that contains plenty of women," says Rupert. "Men sometimes feel the need to stress their own knowledge of beer, whereas women tend to be much more attentive - they're genuinely interested in learning more about the subject."

The sampling format of the beer and food sessions clearly helps, as does the opportunity to try the beers as part of a group. Without having to commit to purchasing a beer they are not familiar with at full price, women have proven willing to try different combinations during the tastings.

"The idea behind these tastings is to make beers more approachable to guests and help them understand the flavours, which is proving a success," says Jennie

The matches: