Monteith's beer tasting notes - Liquor Centre

Beer and food MatcHing tips:
learn how to look for and recognise the intricacies of
a beer’s flavour, serve food with complementary flavours
and thus maximise the pleasure of eating and drinking.
The concept is simple – serving the right combination of beer and
food undoubtedly enhances your enjoyment of both.
There are no hard and fast rules – most beers go with one food type
or another. However finding a truly superb beer/food match is
more of a challenge. It can’t be found by simply having a bag
of chips or a mince pie with a handle of draught. The approach
has to be more sophisticated and involves discovering the
predominant flavours of the beer, and finding food with the same, or
complementary flavours.
There are a couple of things you can do to make your task easy.
Firstly, you have to have beer in good condition. The best flavours
will only be found in fresh beer served in optimal conditions.
Secondly, aim for synergy. Neither the beer, nor the food should
overwhelm the other. And remember, like all beverages, beer
flavours change according to the food you enjoy them with. So don’t
guess, try them out!
Finally, have fun with your matching and don’t be afraid to
experiment with different combinations to find your preference.
Helpful Hints for
Beer & food MatcHing:
lagers and lighter ales
(e.g. Monteith’s summer ale, Monteith’s radler)
Mild lagers and lighter ales are great with food with more subtle flavours
(like shellfish or chicken). However if you are looking for a contrast try
these beers with spicy foods or a good curry.
pilsners and More Bitter Beers
(e.g. Monteith’s original and Monteith’s pilsner)
Dishes with herb flavours, tomato or capsicum sauces and those that have
used smoked ingredients are superb with more bitter beers. The distinct
hop aroma and flavours complement the herbal and grassy ingredients in
the dishes. Some Pilsners also work well with spicy food.
Malty Beers
(e.g. Monteith’s celtic red)
The malty flavour and well-balanced bitterness of robust ale styles are
ideal for the meat connoisseur. Enjoy these with lamb, beef, veal or
even roasted pork. Increase the seasoning or choose strongly flavoured
ingredients. Ales also go well with more strongly flavoured foods.
dark Beers
(e.g. Monteith’s Black)
Dark beers are balanced by red meats in rich sauces or gravy.
To establish your own benchmark, try a glass with a thick juicy steak
cooked to perfection on the grill, or roast beef served with lashings of rich
dark gravy.
To appreciate how well old favourites have stood the test of time try
the traditional pairing of a dark beer with raw oysters. Dark beers
also go well with cured meat such as corned beef served warm.
Some of them, especially those with an identifiable fruitiness or
caramel/toffee taste, also match well with desserts. Choose a
dessert without too much flour, and one with flavours of coffee
and chocolate.
remember, while it is possible to either
complement or contrast your beer and food
flavours, the overall quest is for synergy.
at the end of the day the main thing is to keep
it simple – match like with like, and like it all!

MonteitH’s single source
a bottom fermented batch brewed pilsner - 5% – great matched with delicate fish,
poultry dishes and salads.
A pure, crisp, refreshing beer where you can trace the origin of the ingredients right down to the
fields and the people who nurtured them.
• Southern Cross Hops from Ian Thorn in Ngatimoti.
• Charmay Barley from Bill Davey’s farm in Rakaia.
Inside this pale straw coloured lager is a flavour that begins with a soft bitterness building
delicately with an aromatic balance of citrus and spice, ending with a sharp dry finish.
Each ingredient is from a single source in New Zealand.
For more information visit www.singlesource.co.nz
Discover the Journey.
MonteitH’s original ale
Brewed to the same Monteith family recipe since 1868,
Monteith’s original ale is described as a pale ale.
Monteith’s Original Ale is characterised by a solid, malty flavour, with hints of caramel and burnt
sugars on the front of the palate. With a special yeast, the brewing of Monteith’s Original adds a
bready, as well as some fruity/berry-fruit characteristics to the aroma, providing real interest for
the beer lover. It leaves you with a significant hoppy after taste.
To complement the fuller flavours of Monteith’s Original you could serve it with red meat dishes,
especially those with a rich gamey taste. Alternatively, try it as a sweetish contrast to an oily fish
like hapuka or something more delicate such as a West Coast whitebait fritter, where it will act as
a palate freshener.
MonteitH’s apple cider
Monteith’s crushed apple cider is a light refreshing french style cider made from
whole sun-ripened nelson apples crushed to retain the natural apple flavours.
The result is a cider with a full apple flavour and freshness while being light and effervescent on
the pallet. The taste finishes with a clean dry sweetness with hints of warmth from the alcohol
of 4.5%. Monteith’s Crushed Apple Cider is the ideal refreshingly thirst quenching drink for a
summer day, poured over ice in a long glass.
Ideal food match, try it with sweet French crêpes for an afternoon soirée, or a strong soft blue
cheese and nutty gouda with crackers for a relaxing repast.
MonteitH’s pear cider
Monteith’s crushed pear cider is a smooth and inviting cider, with a juicy pear
sweetness and crisp finish – best served over ice.
The cider is made in the traditional way crushing fresh sun ripened Nelson pears to release the
juice which is then directly fermented. At Monteith’s we don’t use syrup concentrate as this helps
deliver a light and effervescent cider.
Try it with ginger spiced food, blue cheese or cheddar with slices of pear.
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MonteitH’s golden lager
Monteith’s golden lager is considered a “malty lager” in the style of beers
traditionally brewed in parts of germany. it is one of the most popular beers in the
Monteith’s family.
As the name suggests, Monteith’s Golden Lager is a rich golden colour, slightly darker than other
“mainstream” lagers. It has a smooth texture, and a malty taste tending to nuttiness, that derives
from the use of Munich-style amber malts.
This combination provides a refreshing mouthfeel to the beer that lingers long after it has
disappeared down the throat.
Golden Lager goes well as an accompaniment to the delicate flavours of South Island salmon
and other, lighter wild foods. Alternatively, try it with a mild thai curry with cashews or peanuts as
a garnish.
MonteitH’s celtic red Beer
the traditional burnt-red colour of beers brewed in the emerald isle signposts the
nature of this “irish-style ale”.
Monteith’s Celtic Red Beer has a dry roasted malt flavour typical of this style of brewing. This
characteristic is derived from the roasted chocolate malt used in its production.
The mouthfeel is well-rounded and generous, the malty base is uncomplicated and generous.
While the Celtic is moderately hoppy, the brewers have been careful to allow the chocolate malts
to show through in both the aroma and the taste. The richness of Celtic Red Beer is perfect as an
accompaniment to the flavour and texture of venison, or try it with a crispy duck dish.
MonteitH’s Black Beer
Monteith’s Black Beer is in a league of its own amongst the very dark West coast
beers brewed prior to restrictions imposed on brewing in new Zealand during
World War ii.
The slightly higher alcohol content of Monteith’s Black Beer helps carry the distinctive dark
maltiness that comes from the use of five different premium malts. It has a taste profile of biscuit,
nuts, caramel, chocolate and coffee, which is typical of this style.
The use of a single premium hop variety provides the beer with a moderate bitterness that
balances the sweeter, nutty tastes of the tawny malts perfectly. The body is smooth and continues
to develop as the beer is enjoyed.
It can be enjoyed with its traditional food partner, oysters, or with smoked food such as smoked
eel or kahawai. The really adventurous should also consider Monteith’s Black to accompany a
crème caramel or a traditional chocolate brownie.
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contact details
seasonal liMited release
MonteitH’s doppelBock Winter ale
a winter-warmer brew, Monteith’s doppelbock is characterised by it’s smooth rich
start, rounded body and long finish.
Its full malty flavour is the outcome of lovingly-crafted four premium malts. Monteith’s
Doppelbock blends traditional German Munich-malts with a pilsner malt and just a hint of dark
malt which delectably delivers a voluptuous beer with a winter fire’s red hue.
True to its origin, Monteith’s Doppelbock is subtly hopped by local varieties of the classic
German ‘Hallertau’ hop, typical in Bock-styled beers. These hearty flavours are accentuated by
the beer’s 6% alcohol content, offering a generous and profound finish. Monteith’s Doppelbock
Winter Ale can be magnificently matched with rich game foods, such as pheasant, venison and
wild pork.
MonteitH’s pilsner Beer
the complex hop aroma and lively hop bitterness, characteristic of Monteith’s
pilsner, are also common among Bohemian-style lagers brewed in parts of
eastern europe.
Underpinning the beer is a malty caramel quality derived from the use of Vienna-style crystal
malts. But the key attribute is its enormous hop character crafted around the use of a very
special antique hop variety known as a “noble hop”. Monteith’s brewers have been able to utilise
this hop to provide a carefully balanced beer with a smooth, clean bitterness to the delight of
lager drinkers.
Monteith’s Pilsner is a premium beer that challenges the perception of lagers being merely light
and mild. It is a marvellous food beer going particularly well with tomato-based pasta dishes or
with shellfish, such as mussels steamed in a garlic broth.
MonteitH’s radler Bier ®
Monteith’s radler is a refreshing, fruity lager based on the beer style originating
from Bavaria in the 1920’s. Monteith’s radler Bier is brewed to full strength at
5% alcohol by volume with a small amount of natural lemon juice, giving it a
refreshing zesty citrus finish.
Monteith’s Radler Bier has a level of residual sweetness to complement the added lemon juice.
This combination provides balance and a degree of complexity to the flavour mix. Radler is only
lightly hopped to ensure the bitterness character does not dominate the flavour. It’s a great match
with lighter foods, especially seafood and salads. The citrus twist also works wonders with lemon
tart and other citrus-based desserts.
emma Wadworth: PHONE: – 09 309 1701 EMAIL: – emma@monteiths.co.nz
kerry tyack: PHONE: – 09 837 4243 or 0274 570 942
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