Anyone who’s lucky enough to take part in a fine dining event will know that the drinks offer rarely extends beyond “red or white.”

Which is why it was so refreshing to join the Brewers Association at Westminster Kingsway Catering College in London for a unique opportunity to put beer on the menu for the next generation of fine dining chefs.

The Brewers Association, which represents small and independent American craft brewers, provided a selection of beers from across the US and tasked third-year students at the college to develop a four-course pairing menu which they cooked and served at a special event.

The results were impressive. A salad of heirloom tomatoes, pickled watermelon, wasabi and ginger granita was tastefully paired with Chuckanut Asian Lager. Pineapple Mana Wheat from Maui Brewing Company made the perfect accompaniment to Josper charred pineapple, coconut ice and lime meringue. For the main, we sampled an Aylesbury duck, both roast and confit, potato press, heritage carrots, veal and blackberry sauce with Baker’s Ordinary Bitter, Virginia Beer Company.

The opportunity to target student chefs cannot be understated. While beer and food pairings has been on the agenda for many years, it still hasn’t caught on in the mainstream of fine dining experience. Yet beer is an amazingly versatile drink and perfect for pairing with a wide range of menu items, and it is up to the next generation of chefs to put it back on the menu.

Brewers Association American craft beer ambassador for Europe Lotte Peplow said: “Beer’s wide flavour spectrum makes it the ideal pairing partner for almost any food but can be overlooked in favour of wine in some fine dining restaurants.”

“We want to encourage catering students to experience the amazing flavour combinations and versatility of beer when paired with food to gain familiarity with beer and use such knowledge and experience in their future careers.”

Although a one-off event, the students were encouraged to explore the wide range of resources on the Brewers Association’s website for pairing beer with food. Getting the opportunity to create an enhanced and elevated pairing experience will, hopefully, have sparked their interest in planning for their future careers.

You can find out more about beer and food pairings by visiting CAMRA’s Learn & Discover platform: https://camra.org.uk/learn-discover/learn-more/learn-more-about-beer/beer-and-food-pairing/