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Beer Quest: First Picks On Tap This Month at Theo's
Post #15 | 3-11-10
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MATCHING BEER WITH FOOD: Some Thoughts
Deciding which foods taste best with which beers is a delicious, ever-evolving experiment. But how to start? The most important thing to remember is simply to think about what you're tasting. Sip a beer slowly and determine the dominant flavor characteristics. Is the maltiness sweet or dry? Are the hops flowery or citric? Does the yeast contribute a distinctive flavor? Does the sharpness of alcohol coat your tongue?
Next, think about how you would like the beer to relate to the food. The goal is to find a balance, and the keywords to keep in mind are "cut," "complement" and "contrast." You may want to cut a dish that is very rich or buttery by serving it with a light, hoppy beer such as a pilsner. A perfect complement to anything chocolate-flavored is a cream stout or strong stout. And a pale ale will contrast nicely with the hearty, smoky flavors of a barbecue dish.
Just as you cannot follow certain kinds of beers with others in a beer tasting, drinking the wrong beer with certain foods will detract from both the food and the beer. Most often, the flavors in the beer overwhelm those in the food, but the reverse can also occur. A malty beer such as a Scottish ale will lose its flavor next to an astringent salad dressing such as a vinaigrette. Likewise, a bite of Limburger cheese will overwhelm all but the strongest beers. Keep in mind that matching food with beer is not an exact science, even for the pros.
Below are some suggestions on which foods to serve with certain beers.
Golden or blonde ale, American wheat ale, lightly hopped lagers. Since these beers lack both maltiness and hoppiness, they work best as thirst-quenchers. Try them with super-hot food, such as blackened redfish. Once your tongue has been assaulted with hot spices, it will no longer be able to appreciate an intricately flavored beer, anyway.
Weissbier, dunkelweiss. You want to be able to enjoy the flavors of the yeast, so stick with delicate foods, such as a delicate soup or pasta or light cheeses. These beers also work well with lightly flavored vegetarian dishes, such as grilled vegetables, or light chicken dishes.
Amber ale. A good all-around beer for any food that isn't sweet -- something sweet will detract from the maltiness in the beer. It complements sandwiches, hearty soups and pizzas. Also a good thirst-quencher for barbecue or Mexican food.
Bitter, pale ale, India pale ale, German/Bohemian pilsners. While hops can kill your tastebuds when paired with many foods, they do make for some particularly good matches -- fried seafood, for example, because hoppiness cuts through grease, or anything with vinegar as a main ingredient. They also complement smoked, boiled, steamed or broiled seafood. And they can enhance the spiciness of highly spiced cuisine. The fruitier pale ales also will complement lamb, beef and game, or try them with liver paté.
English or American brown ale. Hamburgers and sausages are hearty enough for either kind of ale. The English brown may match nicely with smoked fish, while game dishes can stand up to the hoppiness of the American brown.
Porter, dry or oatmeal stout. Think hearty foods -- meat dishes with gravy, barbecue, shepherd's pie, stew. Oysters are also ideal. Both these beers and the brown ales will stand up to stronger cheeses such as sharp cheddar and blue.
Cream or sweet stout, imperial stout. These are made for chocolate, and imperial stout pairs especially well with dark chocolate. Also try chocolate-and-fruit desserts, such as stout cheesecake with raspberry sauce, or something with caramel or pecans.
Vienna lager/Oktoberfest/Mäarzen, dark lager, bock. Like amber ale, these are good all-around food beers, and they're not as filling as ales. The lagers will cut some of the heaviness in sauce-based meat dishes - chicken paprikash, goulash or pork rouladen, for example - and will stand up to their strong flavors. The perfect beers to serve with pretzels and mustard. Sweeter bocks, such as doppelbocks, can complement heartier, spicier desserts, such as pumpkin pie or spice cake.
Golden or blonde ale, American wheat ale, lightly hopped lagers. Since these beers lack both maltiness and hoppiness, they work best as thirst-quenchers. Try them with super-hot food, such as blackened redfish. Once your tongue has been assaulted with hot spices, it will no longer be able to appreciate an intricately flavored beer, anyway.
Weissbier, dunkelweiss. You want to be able to enjoy the flavors of the yeast, so stick with delicate foods, such as a delicate soup or pasta or light cheeses. These beers also work well with lightly flavored vegetarian dishes, such as grilled vegetables, or light chicken dishes.
Amber ale. A good all-around beer for any food that isn't sweet -- something sweet will detract from the maltiness in the beer. It complements sandwiches, hearty soups and pizzas. Also a good thirst-quencher for barbecue or Mexican food.
Bitter, pale ale, India pale ale, German/Bohemian pilsners. While hops can kill your tastebuds when paired with many foods, they do make for some particularly good matches -- fried seafood, for example, because hoppiness cuts through grease, or anything with vinegar as a main ingredient. They also complement smoked, boiled, steamed or broiled seafood. And they can enhance the spiciness of highly spiced cuisine. The fruitier pale ales also will complement lamb, beef and game, or try them with liver paté.
English or American brown ale. Hamburgers and sausages are hearty enough for either kind of ale. The English brown may match nicely with smoked fish, while game dishes can stand up to the hoppiness of the American brown.
Porter, dry or oatmeal stout. Think hearty foods -- meat dishes with gravy, barbecue, shepherd's pie, stew. Oysters are also ideal. Both these beers and the brown ales will stand up to stronger cheeses such as sharp cheddar and blue.
Cream or sweet stout, imperial stout. These are made for chocolate, and imperial stout pairs especially well with dark chocolate. Also try chocolate-and-fruit desserts, such as stout cheesecake with raspberry sauce, or something with caramel or pecans.
Vienna lager/Oktoberfest/Mäarzen, dark lager, bock. Like amber ale, these are good all-around food beers, and they're not as filling as ales. The lagers will cut some of the heaviness in sauce-based meat dishes - chicken paprikash, goulash or pork rouladen, for example - and will stand up to their strong flavors. The perfect beers to serve with pretzels and mustard. Sweeter bocks, such as doppelbocks, can complement heartier, spicier desserts, such as pumpkin pie or spice cake.
We'd be more than happy to suggest an exceptional match between brew and appetizer or entree choice from our menu on your next visit. You may be interested to try a few things on your own. Either way, you'll have a wide variety of choices to work with when you're here. Once you start experimenting with beer and food pairings, you'll quickly discover that not only does beer enhance the flavor of food, but food enhances the flavor of beer. You will start to pick up the many complexities beer has hidden within it, and as you educate your palate, will begin to develop ideal beer and food pairings on your own. Happy discoveries and Cheers!
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