And beer is often better than wine in the food matching stakes (or steaks) – so be bold, and start matching your favourite beers with your favourite foods – your dining companions will delight in your culinary brilliance.

When deciding what style of beer to pair with which foods, beware of the sweeping generalisation – that all beer taste the same when, in fact, it doesn't. Every palate is different; so let taste be your guide.

A simple guide to food and beer matching is the concept of the three C’s.

- Cut,
- Complement
- Contrast

The acidity of a highly hopped Pilsner or pale ale cleans away the fatty film between bites of rich foods.

To quell the burning sensation of spicy hot foods like Thai, Indian or any dishes with chilli, a malty beer with high alcohol content is best suited for the job. The component of chilli that is responsible for the “Oh My God, OH MY GOD MY MOUTH’S ON FIRE” is soluble in alcohol but not in water. Thus, the alcohol will rinse the fiery heat from your tongue more quickly than water or other beverages while the maltiness in the beer cools and refreshes.

On the other hand, a high alcohol beer with a hoppy astringency like Alpha Pale Ale can be too powerful with hot, spicy foods seemingly intensifying the heat instead of cooling the palate.   go to top

An example of food and beer complementing is the pairing of a prawn salad with the delicate flavours of a wheat beer like Redback.

The delicate, almost floral character of wheat beers doesn't overpower the gentle flavours in a salad, or the subtle soft flavours of seafood but instead enhances them. So if you are eating white fish, prawns or other delicate creatures from the sea drink a lighter styled beer like Redback.

And if you aren’t much of a stout fan but still like to enjoy your sweets after dinner – why not try a lemon tart, fresh fruit or even a sticky date pudding with a glass of the delicious honey-infused Beez Neez.   go to top

When it comes to contrasting foods and beers, it is a little trickier to find palate-pleasing combinations. The classic contrasting example of food and beer pairing is Guinness (or any other type of dry Irish inspired stout) and oysters.

It doesn’t seem to make any sense on paper – a thick, creamy black drink accompanying a briny, slimy mollusc.

But it works - the contrasting flavours come together and create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The same idea of contrast is what makes sweet fortified wines go so well with acidic blue cheeses.

Red meats like beef and lamb are what assertive, fruity ales do best – so why not try a char grilled fillet of beef with an Alpha Pale Ale.

The simplest guideline when matching food with beer is to pair the weight of the beer with the weight of the food. So if you are cooking light and fresh foods then drink light and fresh beer – if you are roasting and cooking hearty flavoured food then match them with the heartiest beer you can find.

And of course never forget a sense of occasion. When you are having a sophisticated function you need to bring along a sophisticated beer. The Matilda Bay Brewer's Reserve beers for instance are hand crafted beers of real personality and flavour – so if you are cooking something a little different, then why not give a different style of beer a go.   go to top

Simply prepared seafood is one of the great joys of eating in Australia and what could be more Australian than a prawn? It’s not a shrimp or a scampi or a yabby or a crab – it’s a prawn and it is unquestionably a great Australian delicacy.

A Summer barbie without prawns is not much of a Summer barbie. A seafood platter without prawns is a pretty ordinary seafood platter. And as for the legendary prawn cocktail is concerned – with its shredded iceberg lettuce, cocktail sauce, fan of avocado on the side - it wouldn't exist without those triumphant upright prawns.

Today the “new” prawn cocktail is prawns however you like them – char grilled, tempura battered, wok-seared or steamed – matched with its perfect partner: an icy cold Redback.

The prawn cocktail should be our national dish. In fact, if you were to design a culinary coat of arms we think you should have a prawn on one side and a bottle of Redback on the other.

The fine, citrussy flavours of Redback make it sing a wonderful duet with prawns – we have tried the combination every which way and it just seems, quite simply, a match made in food and beer heaven.

And you know what? Redback goes pretty well with all sorts of other seafood as well. So if you’re cracking a crab, peeling a prawn, filleting a flathead or grilling a garfish this summer there is one ingredient essential in your recipe – a six-pack of Redback Original.

Click here to win the ultimate Redback & seafood indulgence in Matilda Bay’s beer and food matching challenge!

If meat is your thing then you will be on the look out for beer with a bit of richness, complexity and flavour. You can’t match a char grilled rump with a fruity moselle can you?

Having a gourmet burger with the lot? Then be an Alpha personality and try Alpha Pale Ale – just don’t forget the beetroot on the burger!

Thinking of firing up the spit and slow roasting a beast? Well you should simply unleash the Dog and try the rich, malty flavours of a classic DogBolter.   go to top

Fancy a chicken tikka or a plateful of pork spare ribs or a roast of either – Bohemian is your answer. The spicy notes of the pilsner perfectly complement, cut or contrast the flavours of white meat depending on how you decide to cook.

Pilsners are usually a highly hopped style of lager, crisp and golden. The Award winning Matilda Bay Bohemian is a classic pilsner, wonderfully aromatic, a little bit spicy and thoroughly drinkable with its distinctive spicy, floral aroma and clean, rounded palate with a bitter finish. Pair it with an indulgent wiener schnitzel or a decadently prepared veal scaloppine and you’ll be in seventh heaven.   go to top

This incredibly versatile craft-brewed honey wheat beer is created using a blend of premium pale malted barley and wheats with an equal amount of pure light amber honey. The result is a light, malty palate with dominating honey aroma and flavour and a moderate bitterness. Clean, crisp and surprisingly refreshing, this is an easy drinking beer.

Got a craving for a Chinese chow-down? Believe us, the whole thing will taste better (and you’ll digest it far more easily) with an icy cold Matilda Bay Beez Neez.

Beez Neez is also the perfect after dinner beer – its touch of sweetness promising to refresh the palate and satiate your desires for a touch of sugar to help the meal go down. The sweet nuances of Beez Neez make it a perfect partner to fresh fruit and citrus tarts or even a sticky date pudding. A big 10 points on the ‘Delicious Scale’ for that one.