When it comes to the finer creations of humankind, gravy is definitely up there. It adds the perfect, finishing touch to a roast dinner – or comes to the rescue of any dried-out, over-cooked ones – and is a good place to start if you’re thinking of pairing a beer with food.
The best kind of “food beer” will cut through all of those meat juices, and have enough body and flavour to work with or enhance all the other, rich elements of the meal. So if you’re lucky enough to be sitting down to a Sunday roast this weekend – with all the trimmings – get yourself a decent beer to make it special.
The Belgians are the experts at this kind of thing, of course, and Lidl have a very nice box of six beers on offer at the moment. Their Belgian beer box is a fine selection of doubles, triples and a quadruple, so they're all pretty big beers at about 10 per cent ABV. Compared to your average glass of wine, however, it's not too high, especially if you're going to be sipping – or sharing – over a meal.
Citrus flavours
I tried the Piraat with a roast chicken, and it’s light, crisp body cut through the crispy roasted potatoes and the gravy, the flavours of citrus and light spices working nicely with the thyme and herbs of the chicken.
The Bornem Double will work well with a roast beef, while there are many more delicious pairings you can make with this selection, which all have interesting malt or yeast-driven characters, if you're curious about exploring beer and food at home.
If you’re looking for something a little lighter to drink with your Sunday dinner try a brown ale. Rye River’s 5 per cent Dec’s Brown Ale has lots of lovely toasted malt flavours that are great with roasted lamb or beef, while the touch of toffee and its smooth, light body will also work a treat with chocolate dessert.
