Tuatara loves food

While most people readily accept the concept of wine and food matching, they are usually a bit more sceptical about beer and food combinations. Stereotypes are frequently trotted out – “beer goes with chips”, “beer goes with nuts”, “beer goes with pies” – and, yes, it usually does. However, if the right beer is selected, it can do so much more.

We have long known this at Tuatara. We love seeing dishes made with our beers and matched with our beers. It is heartening to see more customers and drinkers asking for advice on beer and food matching. In that context, one of the most important innovations we saw this year was the nationwide release of the Liquorland summer catalogue.

Now, most catalogues from liquor stores are pretty basic - product name, product photo and product price, a list of stores, the website address, a couple of competitions and maybe some photos of the staff in silly hats. It has traditionally been a simple formula. However, this year, Liquorland, now a major stockist of Tuatara, decided to up the ante.

They asked a number of breweries (not just us) to supply some text about their history, their beers and to suggest accessible food matches for customers. As a result, the reader of the catalogue can actually learn more about craft beers and what might be good to eat with them. We think it is a fantastic step forward in beer education and applaud Liquorland’s initiative.

For those that are interested, here were our suggested simple matches:

Tuatara Helles – Enjoy this easy drinking lager with pork sausages done on the barbeque, an oven-roasted chicken or a soft Swiss cheese like Gruyere.

Tuatara Hefe – This cloudy wheat beer is the perfect drink to accompany steamed mussels, grilled white fish or a tasty potato salad.

Tuatara Pilsner – Try this crisp pilsner with smoked salmon, a firm cheddar cheese or use it to make the perfect beer battered fish and chips.

Tuatara is also delighted to be supporting Worser Bay School’s second annual Summerfest. Their press release says:

“Summerfest is a boutique, family-friendly food and beer festival. Supported by Tuatara Brewery, it’s a relaxing afternoon celebration of great beer (as well as wine, cider and Foxton Fizz) and tempting food matches accompanied by hot summer jazz, gypsy folk, blues and laid-back Irish ballads. Entry is $5 at the door (children under 12 FREE) or presales from the website. All proceeds support Worser Bay School.”

The exact beer and food matches are a bit of a secret but we hear they could include Tuatara Hefe matched with salmon cooked on cedar plank (a favoured technique of Martin Bosley and with good reason) and Tuatara Pilsner with outstanding local paua fritters (these delicious morsels bear no relation to the sad things usually served at fish and chip shops).

Sounds like a great way to spend the day and all in aid of a good cause.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara