On a scorching summer’s afternoon, a sip of a sweet cider or pint of beer can be just the ticket. But light refreshing lagers are welcoming a new addition from America’s Midwest: the humble pickle.

The peculiar pairing is championed by pickle producer Joe McClure, based in Michigan.

“It complements the lager because of the slight vinegar and salt notes that get picked up,” he tells Esquire.

“Pickles are the perfect snack: cucumbers soaked in evil,” he adds.

Commonly pungent pickling flavours used to spice up beers include garlic and chilli. The addition of the salty snack to a light beer is stretching further than the pickle alone, with green olives and pepperoncinis also featuring.

Yi Wah Roberts, a pickle maker from Arlington, Virginia agrees that the pairing is perfection.

“They’re two things that make people very happy,” he tells Washington’s Top News.

“They’re both fermented foods and seem to have an affinity for each other. Alcohol likes big flavours and sometimes it likes the sort of acid that the pickles bring to the party,” he adds.