Gloves off in grain versus grape dinner in Wellington

Beer and wine go head-to-head in a culinary competition in Wellington in late August and, perhaps unusually, one of the ale advocates is female.

DB Breweries brewer Natasha O’Brien is one of six beer advocates competing against a similar number of leading viticulturists to ascertain which beverage best suits each serving in a six-course meal.

The dinner at the Great Hall in Massey’s Wellington campus on August 24 is part of Beervana 2010, an event designed to celebrate the craft of brewing and which includes the annual BrewNZ Awards.

Representing Monteith’s Dopplebock, Natasha O’Brien goes up against Paul Mason’s Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir in the fifth course of a menu prepared by cuisine director Ruth Pretty.

Ms O’Brien isn’t fazed being the only woman on the brew team.

“Doppelbock is smooth and rich with a robust malty flavour delivered by a bold blend of malts – it goes superbly with rich and robust meats so we’re feeling confident about it doing well with the venison course. It’s a voluptuous winter beer that will warm the cockles of your heart.”

Ms O’Brien says there is an astounding range of malt and hop characters in beer not found in wine giving it an edge in flavour complexity and providing unsurpassed food matching opportunities.

“Most beers go with one food type or another but embarking on quest for a truly superior beer-food match will take you on an exciting, creative journey.

“The approach involves interrogating the food for its predominant flavours and finding a beer that reflects complementary flavours or give a nice harmonising contrast. For food lovers, there are some general rules on which beer goes with which food type.

“First up you have to have beer in good condition. The best flavours will only be found in fresh beer served in tip top condition. Second, you need to aim for synergy. Neither the beer nor the food should overwhelm the other,” Ms O’Brien says.

“Best of all, it’s heaps of fun matching food with beverage so people shouldn’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations to find a preference. Invite beer to dinner and it will expand your culinary horizons.”

At the Beervana dinner, Ms O’Brien will present her Monteith’s Dopplebock to diners explaining why it goes with the dish. The guests then sample and discuss the beer and the wine and agree on a score for each out of 10.

The event is being filmed by the Discovery channel for inclusion in a documentary called ‘Brewed’ which looks at craft beers.

A New Zealander, Natasha O’Brien is currently senior project brewer at DB and previously worked at Anheuser-Busch in the United Kingdom for nearly five years.

Monteith’s produces a range of eight food-friendly beers suitable for dishes ranging from nibbles such as crackers and cheese through red meat dishes, fish and wild food to desserts such as French crepes and citrus-based finishers.