2023

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[An interview with me published on 23 March 2023 on Dan Murphy's Dan's Daily Blog]

Brad Nash

Want to up your food-and-beer pairing game? We went to one of Australia’s leading experts to learn where to start.

Given the role beer has had in shaping Australia’s national identity, it’s a wonder why cicerones, or beer sommeliers, aren’t venerated on a level comparable with our greatest sports stars. While their wine-based equivalents get all the glory in the nation’s most esteemed restaurants, cicerones remain a far rarer breed – something which, considering the amount of beer we, as a nation, enjoy with our meals, feels like a hell of a missed opportunity.

Things, however, are changing. Big hospitality groups and trendy restaurants alike are starting to realise the value of pairing food with beer – a niche once reserved for the true connoisseurs of all beverages hoppy and malty – and this is where cicerones come in.

But where do you start with matching beer and food? Does your tried-and-tested lager simply go with everything? And perhaps more importantly, how do you get yourself into a situation where you get paid to drink beer and eat delicious food? We spoke to Merivale restaurant manager and qualified cicerone Kirsty Dale to find out.

First up, what is a cicerone, and what was the path you took to becoming one?

“Cicerone is an internationally recognised beer qualification with four levels. The first level is a Certified Beer Server, then Certified Cicerone (that’s me) followed by the more rigorous Advanced, then Master Cicerone. The easiest way to describe it is similar to a wine sommelier, but for beer! In the course you learn about over 90 beer styles, their main properties and how to describe them, plus the histories of German, Belgian, British, Irish and American beers, as well as how to serve a beer properly and maintain the back-of-house systems.  

“I have always been interested in beer, drinking it, of course, but also learning about the different styles. I think visiting Belgium and living in the North of France on the Belgian border really kicked off my interest in the wildly different styles available. I tried a Kriek and a Framboise for the first time when I was visiting Brussels as an 18-year-old, having just received my HSC results, and my mind was blown. Here was a beer that resembled nothing like the VB and XXXX Gold that I grew up with my Dad drinking.” 

“I moved to Sydney from Canberra in 2020 to continue my career in full-time hospitality, and promised myself I would put more effort into solidifying my hospitality knowledge. So, when I got the opportunity to do the online short course that was Certified Beer Server during the second lockdown, I jumped at it. Following the successful completion of that, I was offered the chance to apply for a scholarship to study for and take the Certified Cicerone exam through Merivale with the help of Maltshovel. At this point we were still in lockdown, so I thought, why not? The first level was easy enough, 10 hours of online study and a 30-minute multiple choice quiz. I was picked, and the cohort of eight students were sent study materials, beers to try together and our schedule for the course. This was when it revealed itself to be much more intense than the first level, with nine months of study allocated for six topics and the veritable beer encyclopedias showing up at my doorstep. Lockdown also soon ended so we had to fit the study around hospitality coming back with a vengeance and our social lives resuming.  

“Luckily, I love studying – I have a law/arts degree and am always looking to improve my knowledge – and it was great studying with a group of like-minded individuals. We had lots of help from a team of cicerones from Maltshovel, including Rhi Lucas, Ryan Loft, and new Advanced Cicerone, one of very few in Australia, Paul Daley. It was really helpful to study with those who had previously taken the exam as they helped us focus on the right things when studying and aided us when we were freaking out. The exam was full-on with a three-hour written component and then a tasting/demonstration exam where you had to identify off flavours in beer, decide which of two similar beers a sample was, and take apart a tap and identify every component, describe the cleaning schedule and put it back together.”

Are cicerones becoming more in-demand as people discover different types of beer?

“There is slowly becoming more awareness of the Cicerone qualification and the benefits of attaining it in the Australian beer industries, including in breweries and hospitality. There is still a way to go in the general population in terms of beer knowledge and exposure to different beers from around the world. The Australian craft beer industry has absolutely exploded in the past 10 years and one of the best things they do for beer knowledge is take a classic style and bring it to the Australian population. For example, Bentspoke in Canberra is known for their Crankshaft IPA, but they also do a fantastic Flanders Red Ale, a classic Belgian style.”

Are there any hard-and-fast rules you swear by when pairing beer with food?

“Beer has so many properties that make it a dream for pairing with food. It is carbonated, which helps to refresh your palate. It has caramelised, toasty and roasty flavours (from the malt), which complement these similar flavours in food. And there is so much variety, offering many different pairings options with one dish.  

“There are a few different principles for pairing beer with food. You want to select a beer that either complements or contrasts the food you are pairing it with and that is balanced to the intensity of the dish. You also want to evoke emotions or memories with the pairing or try to create new flavours not originally present in either the beer or the dish. The main thing to think about is the aroma of the beer. There are recognised beer styles that give you an insight into what aromas to expect in the beers. This could be from the malt profile, or from the yeast strain and type of fermentation. For example, Belgian witbiers are always citrusy with some coriander notes.”

What are some beers that generally pair best with certain cuisines?

“If in doubt with pairings, Belgian beers are the best food beers because they are complex and generally have high carbonation. One of my favourite memories is a Christmas lunch, where I paired lobster with bearnaise sauce with a Belgian blonde ale, pure magic!  

“But there is also a reason why certain beer styles have developed in different areas of the world, so German beers go well with rich pub-style food. Try to match the intensity of the meal with the beer. So, the richer the food, the darker or more bitter the beer you will need to keep up!”

What are some pairings you might assume don't work, but really do?

“A classic pairing that is surprising to most people is Guinness and oysters. The beer’s creamy head and crisp taste complements the saltiness of the oysters and draws out their complexity. Another interesting one, which we are experimenting with around summertime, is hazy IPA and pavlova.”

What beers would you suggest pairing with the following:

An Italian feast (pizza, pasta, rich tomato)

“A saison would pair well with pasta or pizza with rich tomato sauce. The acidity of the tomatoes is complemented by the farm-house, complex style of the saison. Saison has it all – bitterness, spicy flavours, earthy notes, bright aromatics and high carbonation.” 

Asian fusion 

“You can’t go past a Belgian witbier or a hazy IPA for Asian food. The coriander and orange in the witbier, plus creaminess from the wheat malt, helps with the spices and complements the flavours. A hazy IPA has tropical hop aromas, which again complements the fruits and flavours found in Asian food.”

Rich desserts 

“My favourite pairing for rich desserts is a fruit lambic, either a framboise or a kriek to really cut through that richness and complement anything chocolatey or fruity. Another great option is a beautiful imperial stout, which has roasted chocolate and coffee notes and a smoothness that pairs beautifully with desserts.”

Charcuterie/cheese boards at a picnic 

“A gueuze would be my go-to for a picnic in the sun with both charcuterie and cheese. It’s akin to the Champagne of the beer world. Lemon-y and refreshing, it also has a complexity from the fermentation and ageing process that most Champagnes cannot begin to touch.  

“Ultimately, one thing to remember is,while there are guidelines, there are no hard and fast rules! The most fun thing about beer and food pairings is experimenting and trying new combinations. They might not always work, but you might discover something amazing as well.”

Check out the original article here: 

https://www.danmurphys.com.au/dans-daily/learn/best-beer-and-food-pairs-from-a-cicerone