"Versatility" gives beer future in gastronomy
Internationally renowned chef, Joan Roca insists that beer pairings have a significant future in the culinary business due to its “versatility”.
Drinks International joined Roca at the Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress in Manchester last week, where he announced the release of Estrella’s first food and drink trends report.
The 12-page reports details the latest trends within the restaurant business and although Roca does not use beer in his own cooking, he believes that its pairing ability can play a big role for the category.
Roca said: “Our culture has a very long tradition with wine pairing and not beer. But Estrella pairs very well with tapas and I think that is a big opportunity for the on-trade.”
“What I like about beer is that it has so many opportunities because of its soft palate flavor and it’s bitter and sweet at the same time. This makes it versatile and it can be used with so many different pairings.”
Roca has represented Estrella for five years around the world and he stocks it in his restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca.
“I like working with Estrella not only because they’re a Catalonian, but I think they do things well,” added Roca. “They support the gastronomy business a lot and it’s a very refreshing beer.”
The Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress has previously taken place in Miami, Lisbon, Melbourne, London and Edinburgh and below is a summary of the findings from its first trends report.
Roca worked with Brand Positive to provide insight into the emergence of five key areas, resulting in the production of the trends report for this spring/summer.
Below are the findings from these five key areas, which may benefit the beer pairing industry:
Foraging and botanicals
Local/global suppliers
Food waste & the circular economy
Plant-based food
Transparency