Jon Bonne Eriksen first joined Carlsberg in 1980 as brewer and has been dealing with international brewing since 1982. Today he is responsible for own breweries, licensed breweries and joint ventures across the whole of Asia, helping them with quality and other production issues.
"I spend a lot of time in Asia and I love the food - especially seafood and the whole concept of having lots of different exotic dishes at the same meal," says Jon. "And nothing goes better with it than a Carlsberg pilsner."
Fusion cooking
When Jon cooks his favourite Asian dishes to guests at home, he adapts the recipes to suit the Danish palate – mixing seafood with the more familiar meats for example.
"That goes better with the darker Carlsberg lager sold in Denmark, which is slightly less bitter, or one of the darker Semper Ardens or Jacobsen beers," he says. "But as a beer man, I always like to give my guests a choice."
He also uses the beers in the food. "Mixing beer with spices makes an excellent marinade for meat or salads. Or if you’re making fried rice, try adding a little bit of beer when you’re boiling it. The darker the beer the better, as you need to be careful of using too bitter a beer in cooking."
And the worst thing you can do with beer? "Not look after it. It’s a real shame when beer is spoiled because it’s been exposed to sunlight, is too old or its not served at the right temperature."