In honor of Father’s Day, we felt it would be the perfect time to talk about beer, specifically beer and food pairings. There’s a lot of information out there about pairing food with the appropriate wine, but not as much in regards to beer. Beer has just as much variety of flavor as wine! And just like wine pairings, you can lean towards finding the common or contrasting flavors to enhance your meal.
Here are the basics you need to know about beer and food pairings.
1. Hops in beer function like acid in wine. They cut through the fat, oil and salt in your food.
2. For greasy or fatty foods, add bubbles! The carbonation in beer works through fatty food and will cleanse your palate.
3. The ideal temperature to serve beer is between 40 and 50 degrees.
4. If you plan to pair your entire meal by course, start light and work toward darker beer.
And, here’s a little cheat sheet to help guide you.
- Ale: burgers, wings, steak, Mexican, Asian, spicy foods, nuts, fried food, and pizza.
- Lager: shellfish, seafood, light pasta, Latin, Mexican, and grilled pork or chicken.
- Pilsner: salad, light seafood, Asian, and cheeses.
- Porter: smoked and barbecued food, sausage, stew, chili, and bacon.
- Stout: roasted or smoked food, salty food, oysters, dessert and chocolate.
- Wheat/Hefeweizen: salad, soup, vegetarian, sushi, citrus dishes, and dessert.
- Bock: cheese, Cajun, sausage, beef and seared food.
- Fruit/lambic: light white meat, herbed, pickled or spiced food, duck, pork, salads, and fruit desserts.
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