Sommeliers will rarely admit it, but beer actually has a greater spectrum of flavours than wine, partly because it’s made with a wider range of ingredients. This is one of the reasons beer is increasingly being recognised as an excellent drink to pair with cheese. Don’t know where to start? Few beer styles are as cheese-friendly as the imperial IPA – a brew characterised by its pale colour, high alcohol percentage and colossal flavours of mango, lychee and ripe
summer berries. For the ultimate pairing, try
Thornbridge’s Halcyon IPA with a hard aged
cheese such as Montgomery’s Cheddar or
Parmigiano Reggiano. It also works
exceptionally well with aged blues, such
as Roquefort and Gorgonzola.

Almost the exact opposite of a brassy, bitter and well-hopped pale ale, this delicious – rather heady – brown beer is a sophisticated symphony of nuts, caramel, raisins and toffee. These sweet roasted flavours make it an excellent partner for barbecued meats, such as rare steaks, juicy lamb chops and smoked pork ribs. Meat not your thing? The nutty sweetness of this style of beer also makes it a hit with vegetables and cheese. Serve with a barbecued round of Vacherin Mont d’Or with roasted root veg and wild rice – your guests will not be disappointed!

Hops are celebrated by craft beer aficionados for imparting a dizzying array of flavours redolent of spice, fruit, flowers and herbs. But another – less appreciated – virtue of magnificent hops is their ability to provide beer with a refreshing citrussy bite. It is this latter characteristic that makes golden, generously hopped pale ales adept at ‘cutting-through’ salt and batter. Not convinced? Then do yourself a favour and try teaming a portion of fish and chips with Brooklyn Summer Ale. The combination will leave your palate clean, refreshed and invigorated, in much the same way as a slice of lemon or a dash of vinegar.

Few American breweries evoke more respect from hopheads than Sierra Nevada, which helped kick-start the US craft beer revolution back in 1979. This balanced, bright and distinctly floral American pale – the brewery’s flagship beer – is made using only fresh, whole cone hops before being bottle conditioned with live yeast. The process results in a beer famed for its easy-drinking nature and refreshing pine-like flavour. This is a brew designed for kicking back in the sun with friends and a selection of gourmet picnic snacks. Think runny Scotch eggs, Spanish tortilla, cucumber pickles, potted crab and spicy charcuterie.

A truly modern drink with a traditional twist, this unique beer is inspired by the pale ales that historically travelled from England to India, as well as the precious tea that returned on those same ships. Yeastie Boys’ Gunnamatta uses good amounts of Earl Grey Blue Flower tea to give aromas of peach, mandarin, spice and lemon peel, with the quenching dry finish of an iced tea. This makes it a beer at home with pungent Middle Eastern dishes, particularly those that fall under the umbrella of foods we refer to as mezze, including baba ganoush, houmous, falafel, olives and chilli-marinated chargrilled meats.

Rich, dark and intensely viscous, stout is often thought of as a beer best left for the chilly winter months – especially those examples that aren’t afraid to breach the 10% APV mark. However, with its indulgent flavours of chocolate, coffee, liquorice and vanilla, this special beer created by Edinburgh brewer Alechemy is a hit with desserts at any time of the year.

The classic pairing for porter is a melt-in-the-middle fondant, or chocolate and hazelnut tart. Alternatively, create the ultimate imperial porter float by decanting the beer into a glass and topping with a large dollop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkling of freshly grated
dark chocolate.

Peruse the line-ups of this year’s hottest festivals
and in place of the once ubiquitous kebab van you’ll find street-food stalls manned by some talented chefs. As food increasingly takes centre stage, festival goers are also stepping up their beer game, swapping flavourless, mass produced lagers for something altogether more interesting. It’s hard to imagine a better beer for a warm summer’s day in front of a stage than Five Points Pale, an award-winning golden ale that comes packaged in handsome, festival friendly cans. Super-charged with zesty Citra and Amarillo hops, this beer is juicy, fruity and refreshing, making it a killer pairing with that festival favourite: the gourmet burger and fries.

Think bubbly is the ultimate drink for toasting a
special occasion? Then think again. Named after
the ancient Sumerian goddess of beer, this hazy-yellow Belgian style saison is brewed with copious amounts of
New Zealand hops and freshly harvested Somerset apple juice. If that wasn’t enough, the beer undergoes a secondary fermentation with bone-dry Champagne yeast.

Fruity, complex with silky-smooth carbonation, this is a beer crying out to be sipped in a flute as a special pre-party apéritif. Just be sure to spend time savouring the beer’s aromas of hay, yogurt and ripe apples. No wonder those in the know call this a ‘celebration beer’.