Beers Al Fresco

Warmer temperatures signal the start of outdoor eating and drinking and, whether you’re simply throwing sausages onto a barbecue or planning a more elaborate al fresco feast, there’s nothing like a glass of chilled, refreshing beer to turn it into the perfect summer meal.

Choosing beer to go with food is a matter of personal taste, though in general, lighter beers will complement lighter summer fare. But don’t limit your options to lager: although this is a fine match to many summer foods, other beer styles are just as good or better, and experimenting can reveal some surprising winners – try a glass of chilled Guinness with white fish, for example. If you’re not sure where to start, try some of the combinations below, selected by the Beautiful Beer campaign.

Best barbecue beers: accompany flame-grilled sausages, steaks and burgers with a fuller-flavoured, hoppier ale such as Marston's Pedigree or Timothy Taylor's Landlord. Sardines, oily fish and seafood kebabs will be well matched with Pilsner Urquell, while white, fleshy fish will work with Deuchars or Greene King IPA or, for a more unusual flavour combination, try it with a glass of well-chilled Guinness.

Salad Days: delicately-flavoured salads call for lighter beers that won't overpower them, and a light, fresh beer such as Beer to Dine For or Fuller's Discovery, will do the trick, and cut through mayonnaise-based dressings. Zesty, herbal wheat beers will also work well with salads, and with fish dishes - try Hoegaarden or Kronenbourg Blanc.

Picnic pleasures: there’s no better summer lunch than fresh bread with a couple of British cheeses and a refreshing ale – simple and delicious. Almost any British ale will be a great match for hard cheeses; better than wine infact, as beer cuts through the fattiness and cleanses the palate for the next bite. Try Fuller’s London Pride, Greene King’s Old Speckled Hen or Black Sheep Ale. The same beers will work with most other picnic fare such as cold meats, while Badger First Gold is an excellent match for cold pies.

Sweet desserts: try a glass of Belle-Vue or Liefman's Framboise raspberry beers with a summer pudding or Kriek cherry beer with anything chocolatey. Or pair barbecued bananas and vanilla ice cream with Charles Wells Banana Bread Beer.

Drunk in moderation, beer is the ideal drink for summer gatherings: it has a relatively low alcohol content, typically between 4 and 5% compared to wine’s 12%. And, contrary to popular myth, beer isn’t fattening, with just 107 calories in a 250ml glass, compared to 192 in the same serving of wine. So pour yourself a beer, sit back and enjoy the sunshine!

Tips for matching food and beer

• Pairing beer and food is a matter of personal taste. Start experimenting to find combinations you like; as beer is relatively inexpensive, you can afford to be adventurous.

• As a general guide, match ‘like with like’ as you would wine and food, though some of the best combinations come from breaking the rules, such as oysters with a glass of stout or porter.

• Switch from pint glasses to smaller sizes when you’re drinking beer with food: as you’ll be sipping, you’ll probably drink less. There are some lovely, stemmed beer glasses available, but if you don’t have any, a wine glass will be just as good. You could even serve a ‘dessert’ beer in a smaller port or sherry glass.

• Include a seasonal beer among your selection. One of the delights of beer, that wine can’t replicate, is the raft of seasonal ales on offer. These are often only available for a couple of months, and will be particularly good with the season’s food. Many brewers produce a summer ale in cask only, available in pubs, but there are some fine bottled ones as well - check in your local supermarket.

The Beautiful Beer programme is led by the British Beer & Pub Association, with the backing of UK brewers and pub companies. It aims to encourage more consumers to make beer their drink of choice on more occasions. For more information, visit Beautifulbeer.com.