Not beer and food

Out for a meal tonight with colleagues past and present. An excellent meal at Derby's Le Bistrot Pierre; warm beetroot salad with goat's cheese, sous-vide pork with black pudding, caramelised lemon tart.

And no beer.

I could have had Meteor, Stella, Vedett, Leffe. Even a Derby-brewed bottled bitter. None of which would have added anything to the meal.

A Viognier, however,  played gainfully with the pork and its creamy sauce. An iced water complemented the sweet beets and salty goat. Lemon tart was perfect with, uh, nothing else at all.

I'm now at home enjoying a wonderfully roasted, liquorish-licked, smoky-plum-dropped digestif: Magic Rock Dark Arts. Paired perfectly with, uh, nothing at all.

I will not pretend that a Belgian beer brand with an ersatz Gallic advert campaign that's actually brewed in the UK is the perfect accompaniment to French bistro-style food. I will not pretend that I ought to support local brewers at every given opportunity.

I will not drink beer for the sake of it. I will drink what I think works best for my enjoyment.

Sometimes, not beer and food is the right combination.

5 comments:

  1. Have found similar with wine... sitting here sipping a NZ Clayridge 2007 Pinot Noir and can not think of a sinlge beer that will go with it...

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  2. Single! SINGLE!!!

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  3. Stella!? Why don't they just offer White Star Cider and be done with?

    I reckon I'd have gone for Leffe. The world of wine is still a mystery to me and nothing I've had so far has led me to get excited enough to make the effort.

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  4. I've been on nights out with colleagues and drank Leffe all night, courtesy of the fact that it's in every fridge in every bar.

    Being a fussy wine drinker way before I became a beer drinker has become my trump card in places with decent wine lists and shite beer lists.

    As for Stella - everyone knows it's best paired with a bacon cheeseburger. And three more pints of Stella.

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