Grin and beer it
Everything you need to know about matching food with lager, ale, stout and other beers.
For centuries, if you asked a restaurant server in any mid-range to upscale eatery what drink to pair with a certain dish, he would bring over the sommelier and a wine bottle negotiation would ensue. But in the last five years, there's been a paradigm shift - beer has made it on to the menu as more than an afterthought. Beverage directors, chefs and even wine lovers have learned that beer has an amazing capacity to pair with all kinds of foods. As a result, beer sommeliers have popped up across the developed world and beer-and-food tasting events have multiplied exponentially.
Nowadays, asking for a beer no longer means you're simply afraid of wine (or the type of person who wears face paint to football games). Beer may actually be more food-friendly than wine is. There is certainly more room for flavour variety. Winemakers, after all, have only one ingredient to play with: grapes. Two, if you count wood barrel-aging.
Beermakers, on the other hand, can experiment with barley (which adds sweetness), hops (which provide bitterness), yeast (which lends that characteristic 'bready' flavour), as well as spices, nuts, chocolate, fruits and vegetables. You have tried framboise (raspberry) and pumpkin beer, right? Even the world's greatest experimental chef, elBulli's Ferran Adri, believes in beer's flavour-matching prowess; he recently released Estrella Damm Inedit (made with barley, malt, wheat, hops, coriander, orange peel, licorice, yeast, and water), specifically created to be food-friendly.
Complementary or contrasting flavours: While pairing food with beer, some chefs and sommeliers attempt to find commonalities, pairing, say, a spicy Thai dish with a spicy pale ale, or trying a fruit-fruit or chocolatechocolate synchronisation. The idea is to discover a pleasant echo of flavours, with the notes in one sip evoking flavours in past or future bites. The opposite approach suggests looking for contrasting flavours that are pleasing in a ying-yang sort of way. Consider a dry, bitter stout paired with oysters, 'cutting through' the sweetness of the shellfish.
Actually, the sweet and salty combination never ceases to work wonders. One just has to remember that dominant food flavours can come from protein (like beef), the sauce (such as a cream sauce) as well as the method of preparation (like grilling).
Comparing beer with wine: Some people say lager is like white wine and ale is like red. A corollary of that concept: that beer hops (as in a nice bitter Indian Pale Ale, also IPA) function like the wine acids found in a Sauvignon Blanc or a Chianti when it comes to food pairings. Both cut through fattiness and oiliness, and even saltiness. Imagine them both as providing the lemon in, or acid counterpoint to, a fish dish. These are, of course, oversimplifications, but there are a few fundamental differences between lager and ale (the two main types of beer) worth contemplating.
Ales tend to be fruity and robust, while lagers are crisp and comparatively delicate. In terms of body, there are three types of beer (like wine): light, medium, and heavy. Generally you can pair light dishes with light beer and heavy ones with heavy beer. Just like light body wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Barbera and Pinot Grigio, the light body beers are lager, pilsner and wheat. If the medium body wines are Merlot, Zinfandel and Syrah, the medium beers are ale, IPA and bock. Corresponding with the heavy body Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Oaky Chardonnay are stout, porter and barleywine beers.
Texture, temperature, and timing: Bubbles cut through fried and fatty foods, so opt for more carbonisation when eating richer foods. Pizza, for example, is a greasy match made in heaven and requires something that will stand up to the acids in the tomato and cut through the fatty cheese but not overwhelm the dish. Stouts and porters are too heavy for this and wheat beers might be a little light or fruity. Ales, pilsners and lagers are your best bet. The hops stand up to the cheese, while the bubbles cleanse the palate. Beer can taste syrupy if it is too warm. It's best served between 40F and 50F. Since some fridges get colder than 40F, you may consider leaving a beer out for 15 minutes before serving it. Finally, timing really is everything.
If you are pairing a whole meal with different beers, course by course, dish by dish, make sure to start with a light beer and work your way toward darker beers. If you don't, you may overwhelm your palate early on and miss some of the subtler notes and aromas of delicate beers.
Beware of simply matching the region: Many people think that pairing Mexican food with a Mexican beer is a safe bet. The truth is, most restaurants offer only a small selection of beers, so that's what most people are used to seeing on a menu. The Mexican Tecate, Thai Singha, Indian Kingfisher and Chinese Tsingtao are all great European pilsner-style beers, but they're not universal pairings for all dishes from their respective countries. (Some of these brands are actually brewed in the US or Canada anyway.) Beer experts advocate stronger and fruitier flavours when dining on a spicy fare: ales, Hefeweizens, and wheat beers in particular. No matter what type of beer you choose, the coldness will feel good against hot food.
Drink what you like: If you love pale ale, you'll probably like it with anything you eat. And guess what? There's nothing wrong with that. So go ahead and experiment. There are no wrong answers.
(Courtesy: Epicurious.com)
Beermakers, on the other hand, can experiment with barley (which adds sweetness), hops (which provide bitterness), yeast (which lends that characteristic 'bready' flavour), as well as spices, nuts, chocolate, fruits and vegetables. You have tried framboise (raspberry) and pumpkin beer, right? Even the world's greatest experimental chef, elBulli's Ferran Adri, believes in beer's flavour-matching prowess; he recently released Estrella Damm Inedit (made with barley, malt, wheat, hops, coriander, orange peel, licorice, yeast, and water), specifically created to be food-friendly.
Complementary or contrasting flavours: While pairing food with beer, some chefs and sommeliers attempt to find commonalities, pairing, say, a spicy Thai dish with a spicy pale ale, or trying a fruit-fruit or chocolatechocolate synchronisation. The idea is to discover a pleasant echo of flavours, with the notes in one sip evoking flavours in past or future bites. The opposite approach suggests looking for contrasting flavours that are pleasing in a ying-yang sort of way. Consider a dry, bitter stout paired with oysters, 'cutting through' the sweetness of the shellfish.
Comparing beer with wine: Some people say lager is like white wine and ale is like red. A corollary of that concept: that beer hops (as in a nice bitter Indian Pale Ale, also IPA) function like the wine acids found in a Sauvignon Blanc or a Chianti when it comes to food pairings. Both cut through fattiness and oiliness, and even saltiness. Imagine them both as providing the lemon in, or acid counterpoint to, a fish dish. These are, of course, oversimplifications, but there are a few fundamental differences between lager and ale (the two main types of beer) worth contemplating.
Ales tend to be fruity and robust, while lagers are crisp and comparatively delicate. In terms of body, there are three types of beer (like wine): light, medium, and heavy. Generally you can pair light dishes with light beer and heavy ones with heavy beer. Just like light body wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Barbera and Pinot Grigio, the light body beers are lager, pilsner and wheat. If the medium body wines are Merlot, Zinfandel and Syrah, the medium beers are ale, IPA and bock. Corresponding with the heavy body Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Oaky Chardonnay are stout, porter and barleywine beers.
Texture, temperature, and timing: Bubbles cut through fried and fatty foods, so opt for more carbonisation when eating richer foods. Pizza, for example, is a greasy match made in heaven and requires something that will stand up to the acids in the tomato and cut through the fatty cheese but not overwhelm the dish. Stouts and porters are too heavy for this and wheat beers might be a little light or fruity. Ales, pilsners and lagers are your best bet. The hops stand up to the cheese, while the bubbles cleanse the palate. Beer can taste syrupy if it is too warm. It's best served between 40F and 50F. Since some fridges get colder than 40F, you may consider leaving a beer out for 15 minutes before serving it. Finally, timing really is everything.
If you are pairing a whole meal with different beers, course by course, dish by dish, make sure to start with a light beer and work your way toward darker beers. If you don't, you may overwhelm your palate early on and miss some of the subtler notes and aromas of delicate beers.
| Pairing beer with food Ale Pair with: burgers; buffalo wings; Asian food; Mexican food; spicy food; nutty food; fried food; pizza; steaks; Cheddar, Parmesan, or Romano cheeses Bock beer Pair with: Gruyre, Emmental, and Swiss cheeses; Cajun food; jerk chicken; beef; sausage; and seared foods. Fruit beer/Lambic Pair with: Mascarpone cheese; light white meat; foods driven by herbs and spices; duck and pork dishes with sweet components (avoid very tart lambics); pickled dishes (great with tart lambics); salads with fruity dressings; fruity desserts. Lager Pair with: shellfish; light seafood; sushi; grilled pork and chicken; nottoo-heavy pasta dishes (without cream or meat sauces); Southeast Asian food; Latin food; Mexican food; and spicy food. Pilsner Pair with: American cheese; Muenster, Havarti and Monterey Jack cheeses; salads; light seafood; salmon; tuna; trout; asparagus; Asian food; Mexican food; and other spicy food. Porter Pair with: smoked foods; barbecue; sausage; rich stews; meats; bacon; chilli; and braised dishes. Stout Pair with: Roasted foods; smoked foods; barbecued/grilled foods; salty foods; oysters; rich stews; braised dishes; chocolates; and desserts Wheat beer/ Hefeweizen Pair with: light soups and salads; vegetarian dishes; sushi; Gruyre cheese and Feta/goat cheese; sweet and fruity Asian dishes; citrusflavoured dishes, including desserts and salad dressings. |
Beware of simply matching the region: Many people think that pairing Mexican food with a Mexican beer is a safe bet. The truth is, most restaurants offer only a small selection of beers, so that's what most people are used to seeing on a menu. The Mexican Tecate, Thai Singha, Indian Kingfisher and Chinese Tsingtao are all great European pilsner-style beers, but they're not universal pairings for all dishes from their respective countries. (Some of these brands are actually brewed in the US or Canada anyway.) Beer experts advocate stronger and fruitier flavours when dining on a spicy fare: ales, Hefeweizens, and wheat beers in particular. No matter what type of beer you choose, the coldness will feel good against hot food.
Drink what you like: If you love pale ale, you'll probably like it with anything you eat. And guess what? There's nothing wrong with that. So go ahead and experiment. There are no wrong answers.
(Courtesy: Epicurious.com)
