Photography by Keiko Oikawa
‘Have a look at its colour, sniff the aroma, swirl it around the glass, take a good sip, move it over your tongue and palate, suck air in over the top, swallow it to get the full finish left behind’, ‘Mmmm… golden yellow on the eye… spicy flowery and aromatic on the nose… fruity and full bodied, its flavour goes on and on…’ No, we’re not wine tasting, we’re back in the classroom to learn all about beer.
But we’re not talking pint glasses here, sampling snifters of brewers’ finest from stemmed glasses admirably demonstrates beer has as much class and as many nuances as anything a winemaker can pour out.
Now the likes of Jilly and Oz have exuberantly extolled the virtues of wine on our TV screens for decades but now in the 21st century, after some 6000 – 9000 years of brewing, probably pre-dating vinous production, beer has finally come of age. Definitely the new black when it comes to food matching, it has taken the likes of Le Gavroche and other multi-Michelin starred restaurants offering their own beer lists as liquid accompaniment for their gastronomic delights to start convincing the press and foodie consumers to wake up to the potential of beer at the dining table. Supported by the august likes of CAMRA, the British Institute of Innkeeping and ironically, the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, the Beer Academy was created back in 2003 by the great and good of the brewing world including over 50 breweries to promote the understanding and appreciation of beer.
Leading our ‘Beer Appreciation Foundation Course’ at the Anchor in Walberswick, near Southwold, north Suffolk was its director, Dr. George Philliskirk and in his words “there to promote a passion for beer… we believe the best way forward is to have a band of committed beer enthusiasts, you the students here are those ambassadors.” We were doubly fortunate to be in the company of Mark Dorber, one of the founding fathers of the Academy, who was hosting this, the first programme of its kind in the county, at his delightful dining pub-hotel. Indeed the Anchor is in its class of its own, famed for its menu that pairs a different wine and beer with every dish and a superlative list of bottled artisan beers from around the globe. Indeed the most enjoyable seasonal and locally sourced food over an excellent lunch at the capable hands of Sophie Dorber’s team of chefs provided some excellent pairing opportunities. In fact throughout the day, we indulged in some 16 or 17 beers and food matches, all so different in their flavours and textures, a real eye opener to some of the more traditional wine drinkers amongst the students.
Starting with the history of brewing and the raw ingredients of beer, we sampled and studied all the raw ingredients in their natural form, from the raw barley to its malted state, yeast, other additions such as wheat and sweetcorn and of course the importance of good water. Moving on we even got to see different parts of the brewing process in miniature, grasping the mechanics of what ‘turns the sugar into alcohol’ to quote a famous advert. Interestingly endeavouring to disprove the notion of a beer belly (excuse Editor’s sharp intake of breath and holding in of waistline), Dr George went on to explain the dietetics of beer and its calorific comparison to other alcoholic beverages - apparently I can now drink a second pint more often without that guilty conscience. Last word goes to that other illuminary of the wine world, Oz Clarke once said of beers “Why do they taste like they do and isn’t it time we added a little knowledge to the sheer pleasure of downing a pint?’ Now you can…
For details of the Anchor’s forthcoming Beer Academy courses, contact them on
T: 01502 722112 W: anchoratwalberswick.com whilst more general information can be found at W: beeracademy.org.uk
