1. Set up your PerfectDraft station
Create the perfect garden party zone.
Hosting a brilliant summer get-together starts with your set-up. Think of your garden, patio or even balcony as your personal taproom. Whether you’re working with a full outdoor kitchen or a foldaway table and fairy lights, what matters is the vibe.
Start with a dedicated PerfectDraft station. Give it pride of place on its own counter (or pedestal!). Make space for the machine, glasses, coasters and a small chalkboard so guests can see what’s on tap. Add ambient lighting – by festooning bulbs, lanterns or tea lights on the tables – to extend the party into the night. Don’t forget a throw blanket or two for when the chill creeps in after sunset. Throw in comfy seating, upbeat tunes on a little outdoor speaker, and a cooler with a coup
2. Summer beer pairing guide
What to pour and what to pair it with.
When the sun’s out, beer tastes better, but the right food can make it unforgettable. Here’s our guide to pairing food with PerfectDraft’s summer favourites.
Wheat beers Wheat beers such as Hoegaarden and Franziskaner
Weissbier are great with summer salads, grilled chicken or seafood with a squirt of lemon or lime.
Lagers Lagers such as Stella Artois Unfiltered or Jupiler pair brilliantly with grilled meats, burgers and, especially, fish tacos. Crisp and refreshing, they cut through the smoke and spice.
IPAs and pale ales Hoppy brews should be served with your favourite street food, such as pulled pork sliders, loaded nachos or sweet and spicy wings.
Ciders Ciders love summer. Orchard Pig Reveller and Kopparberg’s Strawberry & Lime Cider are best paired with a big cheese board and charcuterie.
3. Become a barbecue master
Three recipes to elevate your fire-cooking game
You’ve got the garden set-up, the keg is flowing and the guests will be arriving hungry. Forget your burnt sausages and frozen burgers, instead, cook up these three simple fire-cooked dishes, each pairing perfectly with a Three recipes to elevate your fire-cooking game. cold pour from your PerfectDraft.
Beer-brined chicken thighs with smoky paprika rub
Juicy, flavour-packed and pretty much impossible to mess up, these chicken thighs are your new go-to. Brining them in beer makes them tender and full of flavour before they hit the grill.
INGREDIENTS:
6 skin-on, bone-in chicken
thighs
500ml lager (try Stella Artois or
Löwenbräu)
2 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp each smoked paprika,
garlic powder and black pepper
METHOD:
Brine the chicken in a mix of beer, salt and sugar for two to four hours. Pat dry, rub with paprika mix and grill over medium heat for six to eight minutes on each side until crisp and cooked through.
Serve with grilled corn and a cold pint.
Charred veggie tacos with halloumi and chimichurri
A colourful, meat-free option that is the perfect blend of
sweet charred veg, salty halloumi and zingy Argentinian
sauce.
If you’ve got time, these are a showstopper. Fall-off-thebone ribs with a sticky, beer-infused glaze.
INGREDIENTS :
1 courgette, 1 red pepper, 1 red onion
200g halloumi, sliced
Small flour tortillas
Chimichurri (blend olive oil, parsley, garlic, red wine
vinegar, chilli flakes)
METHOD :
Slice veg, brush with oil, and grill until nicely charred. Cook halloumi until golden. Assemble in warm tortillas and drizzle with chimichurri. Perfect with a light wheat beer or fruity IPA.
Sticky beer-BBQ ribs
If you’ve got time, these are a showstopper. Fall-off-thebone ribs with a sticky, beer-infused glaze.
INGREDIENTS:
1 rack baby back ribs
For the beer barbecue sauce:
200ml beer (a malty lager or dark ale like Leffe
Brune or Budweiser works well)
4 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard (Dijon)
½ tsp smoked paprika
Chilli flakes for heat
METHOD:
Rub ribs with salt, pepper and garlic powder, then wrap in foil. Cook them indirectly on the barbecue, with the lid closed, for two hours. Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a pan and simmer until thick and glossy. Unwrap ribs, baste with sauce and grill until caramelised and sticky. Serve with (lots of) napkins.
4. Keep the beer cool
How to keep things icy, even on the hottest days.
OK, we may be over-egging the heat in Britain this summer, but we do know that the beer needs to be kept cooooooold.
1. Pre-chill your keg overnight in the fridge for a faster start.
2. Keep a bucket of ice water nearby for glasses and engage the new Rapid Cooling Mode on the app.
3. Got a shaded spot or parasol? That’s where your PerfectDraft should live.
4. Freeze sliced citrus in muffin tins to pop in as beer-chillers
5. Beer games & garden challenges
BEER PONG
Classic for a reason. Use half-filled cups to avoid waste.
CORNHOLE
A popular lawn game in the US where you take it in turns to throw a small bean bag against a board with a hole in it. Making your own is easy and fun, but they’re cheap to buy too.
COASTER TOSS
Cornhole too tricky?
Try the coaster toss. Place a pint glass in the centre of a table and take turns flicking coasters toward it. Closest one wins.
BEER QUIZ
Main ingredients in beer? Home country of the Trappist beer tradition? The fruit traditionally used to flavour Kriek lambic beer? Mix up easy and harder questions!
6. The perfect pour challenge
Who can pour the best pint from your PerfectDraft? Nice head, no spillage, crisp presentation. Extra points for theatrics? Appoint a judge, or let the group vote. Prize: bragging rights and first pour on the next keg
7. Serve a michelada
A cold beer, your way.
This Mexican classic, which mixes beer, lime juice and a kick of chilli, is one of the most refreshing ways to enjoy an ice-cold beer. Here’s how to make it:
Dip the rim of a glass in a mixture of Tajín or chilli salt (you can make your own by adding a bit of cayenne pepper in the salt) and lime.
Fill the glass with ice, beer (you know which one) and a big squeeze of lime. Garnish with lime and a thin slice of red chilli pepper.
