It ain’t fish’n’chips anymore!
It would be unfair to say the British were not famous for their cuisine. In fact they are notorious, but that doesn’t make it any better. For quite a long time the fish’n’chips-diet accompanied by a selection of lukewarm ale was the paradigm.
But at some stage things began to go wrong: Suddenly people who can hardly tell the difference between a potato and root celery fancy Jamie Oliver, cookery shows on the telly and gourmet courses invented for those who in real life would not set one food into their EUR 50,000 designer kitchen.
Cuisin-orious Revolution? Hardly. It may be a step away from fast and convenient food, but does it really lead in the right direction?
You may say the brewing industry couldn’t care less, but it is still a fact that wine is the drink of choice of the self-acclaimed gourmet, and beer is still regarded as a drink for the masses, going with whatever foods available.
Is the brewing world too modest to jump on the bandwagon of the new cookery-mania or is a healthy competition with the wine industry beneath them?
Some have read the signs and are acting accordingly, though.
The Beer Academy, an arm of the London-based Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD) is conducting courses in sync with the gourmet-zeitgeist, which address people interested in cookery and beer alike. The Academy is an educational body dedicated to helping people understand, appreciate and enjoy beer sensibly.
Founded in 2003 by a small group of beer enthusiasts, it quickly attracted support from brewers (large and small) and the affiliated industries which enabled them to provide their training courses.
Among The Beer Academy’s offerings is a full-day Foundation Course which is designed to help attendees gain an understanding, knowledge and appreciation of beer.
Based on the experience gained from the Foundation Course, participants can then register for the two-day advanced courses. The first weekend course will be held in Masham, North Yorkshire, on Saturday 21st November 2009. The attendees will assemble on Saturday morning at 11:00 and the programme will begin with an interactive tutorial from one of The Beer Academy’s experts on beer and food matching. The weekend course will also include a tour of Theakston Brewery, synonymous with fine Yorkshire ales, particularly the legendary Old Peculier, a rich, full-bodied malty beer with a deep dark ruby colour. The event will conclude with a gastronomic beer and food dinner. For those who want to make a longer weekend there will be an option to arrive on the previous – Friday – evening.
The Beer Academy offers quite a contrasting programme to the typical lager-louts and will probably teach the words “nouvelle cuisine” and “beer” to Britons and wine drinkers alike.
For further information, see www.ibd.org.uk.
To register, please contact Dan Cannas at .
