How to Match Your Beer to What Is on the BBQ

Most backyard barbecues put whatever beer is coldest next to whatever meat is closest, and it works fine, because a snag and a cold beer have never needed a committee. But if you're going to the trouble of running the grill properly, matching what's in the glass to what's coming off the plate turns an ordinary afternoon into something people talk about afterwards, and it costs you nothing except a bit of planning.

This isn't about hosting a tasting party, which is its own job with its own running order. This is about the food, and lining the beer up behind it.

Start with the meat, not the beer

The mistake is picking four beers you like and then cooking whatever. Work the other way around. Write down what's actually going on the grill, because a menu of snags, chicken wings, grilled veg and a piece of brisket wants four different things in the glass, and once you know the food the beer choices make themselves.

The pairings that do the heavy lifting

You don't need a chart for this. Four rules of thumb will cover almost anything you put on a barbecue.

• Fatty and rich, so lamb, brisket or pork belly. Reach for something hoppy or something dark. A pale ale cuts through the fat, and a dark ale or stout picks up the char instead of fighting it.
• Chicken and fish, and anything else delicate. Keep it light, because a lager or a wheat beer stays out of the way while a heavy beer will simply bury the food.
• Anything spicy or heavily rubbed. A malty amber ale takes the heat down a notch, while a big bitter IPA will crank it up, so pick depending on how brave your guests are.
• Grilled veg and halloumi. You want something crisp with a bit of acidity behind it, and a cider does this beautifully, which is why it's usually the drink that runs out first.

Pour smaller glasses

The single change that makes a pairing night work is serving the beer in small pours rather than full bottles. People will actually try five things at 100ml each, where they'll commit to one at 375ml and stay there all evening, and the whole point is that they get to notice the difference.

Line the pours up next to the food they belong with, put a scrap of paper in front of each one naming the style, and you've done the hard part.

If somebody brings their own brew, pour it early

Homebrew is the best thing that can happen to a night like this, and the person who made it is usually the one apologising for it before anyone's had a sip. Pour theirs first while everybody is paying attention and nobody is three beers in, and let them tell you what they were going for.

Nobody's first batch is any good and that's not a reason to keep it in the shed. Mine certainly wasn't, and the only way anybody gets better at this is by handing it to people who'll tell them the truth.

The practical bits that save the night

• Get the beer to about 5 to 10 degrees, not colder, because a frozen beer has no flavour to compare.
• Put out water and something non alcoholic, and a ginger beer kit brewed a fortnight earlier does this job better than anything you can buy.
• Have a second pair of tongs. There is always a second pair needed and never a second pair available.
• Label the dishes, because somebody at every barbecue has an allergy and would rather not ask.

Shop related products

• Coopers Original Draught 1.7kg. An easy crowd pleaser and a sensible first kit if you want to brew for the night.
• Thomas Coopers Bootmaker Pale Ale 1.7kg. The hoppy end, and the one that suits the fatty cuts.
• Coopers Original Stout 1.7kg. Dark and roasty, which is what brisket has been waiting for.
• Thomas Coopers Golden Crown Lager 1.7kg. Light and clean for the chicken and fish end of the grill.

Did you know we also stock the Morgan's ginger beer kit, the Coopers Hefe Wheat kit and the Mangrove Jack's craft cider range in store, including apple, pear, raspberry and lime, and blueberry. They're not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.

Everything else is in beer supplies and the wider homebrew range, and Brewhilder, our homebrew adviser, will help you pick a kit and work back from the date you need it ready.

Have a read of these next

• The best beer styles to go with lamb chops on the barbie
• 5 beer and food pairings to try with your homebrew
• How to host a homebrew tasting party worth turning up to

Cheers,
Candeece

I'm the host who forgets the tongs, which is why I own four pairs and still can't put my hand on one when the grill is hot.