The latest Iechyd Da! beer column from Simon Buckley
Make a note: 2012, is going to be the year when beer comes back as the must-have drink.
That’s my prediction - and I have plenty to base my enthusiasm on.
You may think that I have over-indulged over Christmas and am suffering from a Cwrw-induced amnesia, fuddling the brain and everything else that goes with that.
The simple fact is that the pub trade has had one of the best Christmases for many years, with little or no bad weather and consumers determined to have a good time.
Those pubs that have tuned up their performance and provided the value-for-money product, have done well. (More of that in a moment)
So why is 2012 going to be a return to beer year?
The reason is a simple one: beer has become sexy!
Now you really think I have lost my marbles, but the recently-published Cask Ale report has identified that more and more 18-24s have seen the light and have shifted to cask ale.
More women now enjoy a pint of ‘real’ beer, and, yes, people are now seeing ale as a wholesome, flavoursome and healthy drink.
Beer is the new wine to food.
More and more people look to beer to be a natural accompaniment to food.
My experience shows this. People want to try something new and exciting, but the consumer is also shy to try new products from unknown sources, and that’s where we have to help.
We have to help consumers match beers to foods; beer lists, and beer menus.
This is not a single male domain To the contrary, now is the time to put the more subtle bottle beers alongside the cask ale and marry them to specific foods. The ladies are more ready to try the food-drink matches than the men. There’s a challenge if ever there was one!
A pub that has done this and has pushed the boundaries of food and drink is tucked away in the upper Towy Valley, at Rhandirmyn, near Llandovery.
The Royal Oak is a wonderful bolthole for those of us who like to get out for a walk and then to have a few pints of something good’ n’local and a plate of good local food, well cooked, and served in a wonderfully clean pub.
I was there on New Year’s Eve with my wife and had one of the best pub meals we have had in a very long time. It is living proof that the well-run country pub has an important role to play here in rural Wales.
So, if one pub in the middle of rural Wales can get this simple recipe right and do it well, there is no reason why the rest of the pubs in Wales cannot rise to the challenge and follow suit.
If you know of a special gem, then let me know. There is a case of beer in it for you, if I agree. Email me at - SimonBuckley@evan-evans.com
For those of you waiting for my up-date from the Colonies, I am sorry to disappoint but my trip has been delayed for a few weeks. But let me reassure you Cwrw will be brewed in upstate New York in the summer of 2012. Some five million Welshmen and women are waiting for it!
Comments