Beer With Bite

One of the most fascinating beers in British brewing is Greene King's Strong Suffolk, an example of an 18th century 'country beer', stored in wooden vats for a minimum of two years. There will be an in-depth look at this possibly unique beer in a future article, but it is just one of brews that can be enjoyed at Greene King's special Beer Dinners, hosted in the Visitor Centre in Bury.

The dinners are part of the brewery's campaign to encourage consumers to link beer and food. Greene King feels passionately that beer is as good a dinner companion as wine, and encourages its licensees to suggest beer and food matches on their pub menus. The beer dinners at Bury St Edmunds are part of a package that enables a group to tour the brewery before enjoying a three-course meal with beer. Claire Norris, who works in the brewery museum and who organises the dinners, says the aim is to "promote beer as a natural product. We also cook with local, natural ingredients - organic where possible."

The dinners are cooked by Greene King's chef, Jan Hurrell. Jan only started cooking in 2006 and has no formal training. She likes beer, and Old Speckled Hen is her favourite Greene King brew. She began cooking such simple dishes as sausage and mash and has honed her skills with imaginative menus.

I joined a group on a brewery tour, followed by dinner, with a menu that offered:

Starter Prawn cocktail with a Hop Marie Rose sauce * medley of melon with hop compote

Main course Old Speckled Hen braised turkey breast * Abbot ale roast beef * Summer vegetable crumble * all served with seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and Abbot Ale gravy

Dessert Strong Suffolk summer trifle * English cheese board with Old Speckled Hen chutney Claire doesn't match specific Greene King beers with particular dishes. A range of beers, both draught and bottled, is available and Claire and members of the brewing team are on hand to make recommendations. I can guarantee that Strong Suffolk and the cheese board are a marriage made in heaven.

To date, beer dinners at Bury have included a curry evening, a barbecue and celebrations for Valentine's Day and Father's Day. There are plans for a Winter Warmer evening and a Thanksgiving Day dinner for American servicemen stationed in the area.

Claire Norris said she was delighted with the success of the dinners, that reached a new audience of people, who will hopefully appreciate beer after a brewery tour and a meal. Greene King offers a wide range of activities for visitors, including brewery tours, lunches and dinners and trips round the fascinating museum. The spacious museum is on two floors and it covers the history of brewing in Bury St Edmunds from monastic times to the modern day. There is a collection of awards won by the company for its beers, old photos of the town and the brewery, and an explanation of the raw materials used in brewing with a cutaway model of the production process.

One of the most interesting artefacts is a model of the Old Speckled Hen MG car built in Abingdon and which gave its name to the beer, the bottled version of which is now Britain's best-selling packaged ale.

For details of tours, future beer and food matching dinners and museum opening hours, contact the museum and shop below.

Greene KingVisitor Centre

Westgate Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 1QT +44 (0)1284 714297 click for email