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B

eer and barbecued food are best

pals if you look past the ubiquitous

slabs of bulk-buy cheap lager to a

host of delicious pairings that will

make your alfresco dining the

toast of the town.

The ™rst tip here is matching levels of

˜avour intensity - there's no point putting

light lager with a 10-hour smoked brisket

smothered in vinegar-based sauce, because

the food will barn dance all over it. Similarly,

it's unbalanced and unpleasant to put a dark,

smoky porter with a delicate piece of white

™sh that has only been shown the coals for

a few moments.

BEER

If you know your beer beforehand you

can be more assured of a delicious match,

so the basic message is to do your beer prep

before you even strike a light. Drinking beer

is demanding homework of course, but do

try to push through...

Perfect pairings

Simple ˜avours require simple beer. Lager

comes into its own with prawns, white ™sh

or grilled chicken with salad, and I'm talking

about the good stu like Curious Brew

from the makers of Chapel Down wines

(£17.99/12x330ml, Majestic) or Marks ¦

Spencer's Five Hop Lager, which is brewed

by Hogsback in Surrey (£1.80/330ml).

Oily ™sh on the barbecue is an utter

delight and if you're leaving it au naturel or

just marinading it with a few subtle herbs

and lemon, you want British-style golden

ales to match. The vibrant, but not garish,

citrus ˜avours of beers such as Hopback

Summer Lightning (£1.99/500ml, Waitrose)

or Sovereign Golden Ale, brewed for Marks

¦ Spencer by Elgood's in Cambridgeshire

(£2.40/500ml), are ideal for this.

If you're using warm, earthy spices such as

cumin and coriander with red meat, halloumi

or green veg, then tropical fruit-toned beers

are the way to go. Try Brewdog's Dead Pony

in cans (£12.99/6x330ml, Majestic) or Crouch

Vale Amarillo (£1.99/500ml, Tesco).

When you start ramping up the heat

however, dial back those hops in favour of

fuller, more malt-led beers to help soothe

your tortured palate. For straight-up hot food,

especially those dishes with a vinegar edge, I

suggest a milk stout like Bristol Beer Factory's

(£2.75/500ml, honestbrew.co.uk) or the riot

of sweet brioche and dried fruit that is Fuller's

1845 (£2.00/500ml, Sainsbury's).

And let's not forget you can throw dessert

on the barbecue too - an old favourite of

mine, perfected while in the Girl Guides, is a

banana stued with dark chocolate and mini

marshmallows, and topped with crushed

Hobnobs, before being wrapped in foil and

popped directly on the coals for ™ve minutes.

It's glorious with the chocolate, pine and

geranium of Beavertown's Holy Cowbell

(£2.80/330ml, alesbymail.co.uk).

Melissa Cole

YES YOU CAN CAN...

Cans these days are a very dierent proposition to the metallic-tainted horrors of years gone by. All the cool brewing

kids are doing it, with Beavertown, Brewdog, Fourpure, Camden Town and even traditional brewers like Adnams

getting in on the act. The bonus with cans is that they are lighter, more portable, chill quicker and crush down

to nothing, making them the perfect choice for big parties or barbecues on the move.

WHEN YOU START RAMPING

UP THE HEAT HOWEVER,

DIAL BACK THOSE HOPS