Beer and women's group, Dea Latis - named after the Celtic goddess of beer and water - is partnering with St Austell Brewery on a ‘Best of the West' dinner with beer in Bristol next month.
The five-course meal with beers is being held at The Albion in Clifton on 20 July from 7.00pm. Each dish will be accompanied by a beer specially selected to bring out its flavours by Annabel Smith, Dea Latis co-founder and Beer Sommelier, who will be talking guests through the matches as well as busting some of the ‘beer myths' that hold women back from trying our national drink.
The Albion, which is part of St Austell Brewery's south west estate of pubs, inns and hotels, has a well-deserved reputation for its modern British food, based on the finest local produce. For the Dea Latis dinner, chef Scott Jenkins is preparing a menu of delicious dishes that will be perfectly partnered by a range of beers including Tribute Cornish pale ale, St Austell Brewery's flagship beer and Eureka, an American pale ale recently launched by the west country brewers. Dark Side, a stout brewed by Bath Ales, which joined St Austell Brewery's family last year, will also join the beer line-up.
Dea Latis has held similar dinners in a number of cities across the UK, but the event at The Albion is its first in the west of the country.
Smith said, 'Our dinners are all about presenting beer in a new way to women and reshaping their perceptions about it. We show the diversity of beers, from pale ales to dark stouts, and we taste some magical beer and food matches. By the end of the evening, even the staunchest wine drinkers have found a beer they love!
'We also address women's concerns about beer, explaining that it's made from natural ingredients, and that it doesn't give you a ‘beer belly', when drunk in moderation. Most importantly, though, we want our guests to have a great time - and with a roomful of women enjoying The Albion's fantastic food, paired with some brilliant beers, we think that's guaranteed.'
Laura Hicks, communications manager, St Austell Brewery, said: 'Beer makes such a good match to food because it is so versatile and there's always something to suit each person's palate. An event like this will give guests the chance to take time and really ‘taste' the beer and will be a great introduction to sampling different styles and flavours. We're delighted to be working with Dea Latis on this event and look forward to showcasing beers from St Austell Brewery and Bath Ales.'
Dea Latis was established in 2010 with a mission to ‘bring beer to women'. Although beer consumption among women is increasing, the UK still lags behind the USA and most European countries, largely because of our national ‘pint culture', male-oriented beer advertising and a number of false beliefs around the ‘beer belly' and similar. Dea Latis holds regular beer dinners - and an annual Beer with Breakfast - as a way of encouraging more women to engage with beer.