The trend for matching beer and food continues to grow as customers demand more from both menus and drinks lists. Miller Brands’ Gary Haigh examines how operators can offer combinations that enhance the occasion for customers.

Matching quality food and beer has come a long way from a warm pint of ale with a steak pie. Consumers’ fascination with where their food comes from and how it’s made has broadened to the drink accompanying it. They now expect high-quality ingredients, authenticity and provenance, and ultimately something that enhances the occasion.

I want to share some insights that show how interest in matching food and beer taste and flavour is a trend that continues to grow, and to share how we at Miller Brands are bringing our passion for beer and food matching to both our customers and consumers. It’s a great opportunity for the on-trade, for the premium beer category and one we must not fail to grasp.

Here are three reasons why I am convinced every menu and chalkboard should suggest cuisine and world beer combinations.

● When people go for a night out, they are choosing pubs and restaurants more than before. They want to spend time talking with friends and enjoying the dining experience. According to Crowd DNA research, visits to nightclubs are in decline, people want to eat more, talk more and rave less (2014 research of 1,205 customers).

● World beer is driving increased spend on food occasions, second only to wine. The average spend on food, when purchased with one and a half pints of world beer, is £14.65, a 51% increase on what the average beer drinker spends on food (Kantar Alcovision 2015 and CGA data – 27 December 2014).

”People want to eat more, talk more and rave less”

● World lager is preferred on 22% of meal occasions, outstripping other beers, which peak at 12%. In particular, world lager tops the charts for special occasions with consumers preferring it as a match more than any other beer category (Kantar Worldpanel Alcovision, September 2014).

It’s why Miller Brands has taken the best of world beer to the foodie movement in recent years, and why we want to help everyone who sells and serves our beers to be able to explain how beer complements food, irrespective of the occasion.

In addition to taking the Pilsner Urquell truck to several foodie festivals around the UK this summer, we have showcased Pilsner Urquell at Taste of London, the annual food and drink festival in Regent’s Park, London, for four years now. This year, as part of our Brewers & Makers activity, we paired our unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell tank beer, which is delivered direct from our brewery in Plzen, Czech Republic, with British charcuterie from producer Cannon & Cannon. The cured meats really complement the depth of flavour and hop aroma of the fresh tank beer, and the different pours that were on offer. It’s a simple offer that can be served as a sharing platter with cheeses and breads and works well for groups of friends or colleagues.

Pilsner Urquell tank beer tastes so fresh because it moves from brewery to tap within 24 hours and is protected from oxygen and light ready for that first taste. It means the front-of-mouth, subtle malty sweetness, the mid-mouth bitterness from the Saaz hops, and the clean finish are all at their peak and work even better with food.

This is why the tank beer works so well in outlets such as Alan Yau’s Duck+Rice, which opened earlier this year. There is the visual appeal of the beautiful Czech copper tanks as well as the perfect match of the beer with the cuisine. We’ve been delighted with the positive feedback we’ve received since the launch.

Our tank beer is proven to drive trial and footfall, with 10% of consumers saying they visited a Pilsner Urquell tank venue because of the tank. It’s a great combination of theatre and taste.

Looking to other beers in our portfolio, Kozel, our easy-drinking flavoursome Czech beer that we import directly from the small village of Velké Popovice has focused its marketing activity on London’s Street Feast and will soon be supporting National Burger Day. Kozel traditionally accompanies a variety of grilled and barbecued meats, so Street Feast’s array of street food from burgers and ribs to Taiwanese steamed buns and Korean burritos being served across the three London sites until October is a great fit for us both in terms of the food and the target market.

Each pint of Kozel commands 42p more than the average premium lager (CGA Brand Index) so we believe it can really fuel growth for our on-trade partners during the outdoor eating season and beyond into winter with Sunday roasts on the menu.

We talk about our beers with a passion for the food they match and Peroni Nastro Azzurro is no exception. Made with high-quality ingredients, its clean taste complements many Italian foods. It cuts through the depth of flavour in meats and cheeses, oily fish and rich sauces. It’s even more suited to dining occasions in the new formats that we have introduced during the past year.

Alta is part of the new range of serve innovations by Peroni Nastro Azzurro, which includes bottle chillers designed by Italian designers and Piccola, a 25cl bottle that is a perfect pre-dinner drink or aperitivo accompaniment. Aperitivo hour in Italy is another convivial food occasion that has slowly infiltrated British culture in the past few years, particularly in London.

The same size as a wine bottle, Alta is a 75cl sharing serve of our crisp, refreshing lager and is designed to be enjoyed with a partner, friends or colleagues, whether at the bar or with a meal. It is also complemented by elegant stemmed Peroni glassware and is a suitable on a table next to wine so that every-one around the dining table is catered for.

We’re very proud of our range of authentic world beers and, later this year, Miller Brands will mark 10 years of leading the growth of world beer in the UK as well as helping change the way people think about beer. I hope that in the next 10 years, we will see plenty more exciting developments and, as part of that, lots more going on with the relationship between beer and food.

Gary Haigh is managing director at Miller Brands UK

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