Estrella Damm’s gastro-pairing Tapas evening

Estrella Damm beer, pitching its brand as a food occasion rather than a wet-house one here, couldn’t have got off to a better start than to have the Head Chef at the award-winning El Bulli restaurant in Spain Ferran Adriá on board as a Brand Ambassador.

 

The El Bulli restaurant in Catalonia was considered the best in the world for nearly a decade, with Estrella Damm the in-house beer there.

Previously distributed by Molson Coors Ireland, just three months ago Counterpoint Ireland was appointed its new distributor.

To highlight the brand’s suitability for pairing with food, Counterpoint held an intimate Estrella Damm Tapas evening in Atelier Maser on Dublin’s Charlotte Street recently.

Natalia Lynch, Category Development Manager at Counterpoint, describes Estrella Damm’s pitch as a “gastro-experience”.

The brand’s Export Manager for Western Europe Pablo Gil Oelmann and Global Marketing Manager Cristina Casas Bertran were also present to answer questions and the evening was helped along by 2FM DJ Tara Stewart.

Pablo explained that ‘sustainability’ was to be Estrella’s advertising theme for 2020. The brewery has already eliminated plastic binders, caps and shrink-wrap for its product and now recycles 65% of its product. It works with only local raw materials within a set radius of Barcelona for the beer’s ingredients which are 100% natural.

As for the food-pairing qualities of Estrella Damm, Pablo explained that the beer’s virtue lies in its touch of acidity which can help clean the palate after oily or spicy foods.

Guests enjoyed a Mediterranean-inspired meal paired with the flavour profile of Estrella Damm beer, themed on the laid-back Mediterranean lifestyle.

“The beer of Barcelona” is exported to many countries around the world including China, Japan, South Africa, the US and Russia and is available in three formats: Estrella Damm itself (accounting for 50% of the company’s total beer sales) and a stronger ABV gluten-free format in Estrella Daura Damm, the world’s first gluten-free beer.

And since 2008 it has had a lager wheat beer combination in Estrella Inedit, specially-concocted by Estrella Damm brewers in combination with staff at El Bulli, making it the perfect subject for food-pairing.

Additionally the company will have a non-alcoholic Estrella Damm available in canned format in time for Christmas.

In the New Year, the zero ABV bottled format will be introduced.