How best to pour and pair beer

A few cans of various lagers in an ice bucket will do the job, but if you want to truly impress your guests there are some specific guidelines to follow…

While choosing a quality beer for your guests is essential, you also need to make sure you serve it correctly. For a start, it needs to be served at the right temperature, as Neil Bain, master brewer of Woodforde’s Brewery in Norfolk ( woodfordes.co.uk) explains: “The perfect cask beer should be served between 11 and 13°C, while keg beers and lagers would normally be served between 4 and 7°C, in nucleated glasses to promote head formation.”

Speaking of head, how much is acceptable on the top of the glass can depend on where your guests hail from. “If you present a Midlander with a pint with no head, he’ll hand it straight back complaining that the beer is flat,” says Neil. “But the same beer would be perfectly acceptable in Norfolk where they prefer more beer than froth!”

If you really want to do things properly, you should consider what food goes best with your chosen brew. “[Brooklyn brewer] Garrett Oliver has written a 354-page book on the subject,” Neil tells us, “and there’s little doubt that beer provides a better match with food than wine does. Generally, beers with citrus character pair well with fish dishes, while premium bitters with fruity character complement pork dishes. A barley wine is a delight with a mature stilton, while some dark beers can complement chocolate dishes.”

Don’t be too intimidated, though, as part of the fun is experimenting with different matches. Besides, after several beers, we doubt your friends will care that much.