It ought to be a simple question: "What cask beers do you have?" All too often, though, the response from a member of staff taking drinks orders at the dining table is a look of uncertainty followed by: "I'll just check for you."
Staff knowledge
While it's far better that a server finds out what's available rather than trying to bluff through it, he or she should at least have a working knowledge of what is on the wine list if asked about drinks to accompany a meal.
The concern is that if a customer wanting a pint of cask beer, rather than wine to accompany their meal, is considered such an unlikely contingency that table servers aren't even briefed to be ready for the question, it becomes a self-fulfilling policy — beer at the bar, but wine at the table.
Range of flavours
When food pubs take the gastronomic credentials of beer as seriously as they do wine, they open up new opportunities. Beer offers even more intense and complex flavours, and greater versatility than wine, as Greene King's beer-tasting tutor Susan Chisholm explains: "While wine can contribute to some delightful complementary food matches, the sheer range of flavours that cask beer has to offer is far broader.
"Hops alone can provide over 200 different compounds varying from citrus and berry fruits, through spicy and peppery, to subtle floral hints."
Just one example is the widely-used Fuggles hop, which can impart flavours including spicy, peppery, sandalwood, lavender, tropical and summer fruits — "and that's just one hop in our brewing repertoire", says Susan.
"Coloured malts such as crystal, amber or black, can give cask beer flavours such as biscuit, toffee, caramel, nut, chocolate and coffee, that wine is just not able to provide.
"So beer flavours can vary considerably, depending on the ingredients and the brewing process, and this makes cask beer a great match for a wide range of foods.
"As a general rule, a lighter beer suits lighter foods, while fuller flavoured beers complement heartier foods — but the great thing is that with beer there are none of the fancy protocols or pretensions you get with wine, so you can enjoy a wide range of beers with any dish."
Cask beer with food
That's certainly the experience of the Red Lion pub in Bletchingley, Surrey. Licensee Tracey Barker says: "We treat beer and wine equally, and so we offer matching suggestions on the menu for both — it's a matter of looking at the dish, tasting it with
different drinks, and deciding what would complement it best."
The pub has beer-tasting glasses, so staff can offer customers a sample before they order a beer to drink with their meal, and bottled ales are served at the table in terracotta containers to keep the beer cool.
"It makes serving beer just as special as serving a bottle of wine," says Tracey.
The Red Lion has found that, like a fine red wine, "Old Speckled Hen" is a superb match with dishes such as steak pie, game or premium sausages, thank to its fruity aromas and delicious blend of malty tastes.
However, try a pint of "Hen" with a different flavour profile, such as a rich dessert, and it can be just as complementary thanks to its toffee tones.
People who appreciate good food and good wine are also very likely to appreciate good beer.
While you can drink wine at home, enjoying a pint of freshly-pulled cask beer with a meal is something you can do only at the pub.
The best pubs make sure there's no barrier between the bar and the dining room when it comes to serving beer.