Would you like the beer list now, sir?

4 Sophisticated, fashionable and flavoursome, real beer has it all. Therefore why shouldn’t we bring our traditionally brewed beer to the dining table? Here, Xavier Baker, head brewer for Ventnor Brewery, on the Isle of Wight, which uses the natural spring water which emanates from the rocks above Ventnor to produce gourmet beer, looks at the trend.

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	l Xavier and Airon Baker

Big guffawing bearded men gulping down pints of witch’s ale leaning against the bar at their local is a far cry from a business lady sipping a gourmet beer from an elegant, long-stemmed, third-pint glass. However, the connotations attached to ale are changing as beer is now bottled, stylishly packaged and drunk to complement food. It is also becoming more accepted by women who have been targeted as a new market, which is ironic considering they were the first to brew ale.

For the last 6,000 years ale has been part of our heritage, nicknamed ‘liquid bread’ because of its cereal content. Ale has been drunk for its nutritional value, for medicinal purposes and as a perfect complement to food. It was women who originally brewed ale as part of their chores and the houses that brewed the best ales became the most popular places for people to gather before taverns or pubs existed.

During its early stages ale was, in fact, just fermented maltose, but the introduction of hops around 1400 meant it could be kept longer and more flavours added because hops are a preservative. As with anything there was resilience to adding hops and many of the London brewers were prospected for experimenting with hops.

However, using hops soon became popular, not only because of their preservative effects but also their bitter taste. By the 17th century, ale, or beer as it was now referred to, was an established drink. The famous Golding hops were then responsible for paler, lighter beer which made this drink so popular it became impossible to harvest enough hops in this country to keep up with the demand.

Today, some breweries import their hops from places like New Zealand, but hops are still grown in the traditional regions of Kent, Surrey and Hampshire. A variety of ales are available which embrace fruits, spices, vegetables and even oysters, giving each of them a unique flavour to complement certain foods. Regional ales have even been especially brewed to complement local traditional dishes and produce.

For every dish there is a beer to match, but don’t get confused. There are two beer styles - ales and lagers. Real ale is not pasteurised or filtered, but keg lager or keg bitter is, and the yeast has been removed. Ale maintains its unique flavour as it carries on fermenting and is technically alive. This may sound off-putting to some, but ale is completely natural, chemical-free and a lot healthier, especially when ingredients like honey, ginger, oranges or even carrots are added.

It has also been argued that ale is less fattening than wine; for example, per 100ml beer has 41 calories whereas wine has 77. A 170ml, third of a pint glass has little difference in quantity to average serving of wine in a 175ml glass. So, ladies, ale could be the next weightwatchers' drink!

CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) introduced special stemmed third pint glasses at this year’s Great British Beer Festival in a bid to appeal to female drinkers and younger festival-goers. A more elegant glass would also help get beer to the dining table as it looks more attractive and sophisticated. If you have ever visited Brussels you well know that there is a glass to suit each type of beer so this country should follow suit with the revival of ale.

To raise glasses of ale even higher in cuisine culture a new revolutionary generic tasting system has just been introduced, not too dissimilar to the wine tasting system which was integral in the growth of the wine market. Cyclops, as it will be known, will describe, in simple terms, the taste, look and smell of a beer to encourage a new generation of beer connoisseurs.

To get your tastebuds started on the right ale trail try the following:

l Light beer and bitters go well with seafood and lamb. They also go down a treat with a curry or Thai food. A light bitter with a full English breakfast also makes a perfect 'hair of the dog'!

l Ruby and slightly darker beers are great with steak as they have a full flavour to match the heavy taste of the meat.

l Dark beers such as stouts are fantastic winter warmers and compliment stews, pies and puddings.

So, there is no reason why ale or real beer shouldn’t rightfully be placed on the dining table as a sophisticated, completely natural drink to complement different courses and dishes. Whether you want a light aperitif, a spicy drink to accompany your Christmas turkey or a rich cherry flavour to enhance a chocolate dessert then please, raise your glasses to ale.

October 1, 2006