No longer do I feel obliged to buy a 50 piece BBQ Family Feast Pack for £5 from Iceland, as Villagers offers a host of different sausages; all made on the premisses, from your traditional Cumberland and Lincolnshire, to the more unusual Kangaroo and Wild Boar sausages.
Buying a random selection and offering them to friends to try some of the more interesting variations on the British classic is slowly becoming a tradition at our BBQs.
Now of course with every good BBQ you'll need beer, My choice of the day however was Bernard Dark 5.1 % ABV a Czech dark lager produced with five types of malt.I've been a fan of Bernard ever since a Czech friend recommended the "light version", so when I spotted the beautiful swing top bottle on the shelves of my local Tesco, I simply has to oblige.
Pouring a deep and rich dark black, with a caramel, chocolate & roasted malt nose. The taste is predominantly of dark chocolate, caramel and bitter hops as well some roasted coffeeness. Unlike most "lagers" on the market, this beer is actually largered for 40 days after fermenting, which only adds to its unique light bitterness.
I know that Mark from Pencil & Spoon has recently posted about his attempts to pair beer with Sausages, Chips and Beans, but this pairing was for a different environment and a array of sausages. The deep rich flavours perfectly matched a meatier choice in sausage, such as Boreswors or Steak and Guinness (which happen to be my favourite). Several friends also commented how palatable this beer was, even those who don't usually prefer dark beers.
If you're lucky enough to have your local Tesco stock it then, I'd definitely make sure you get your hands on a few bottles and some good sausages too!!
