Food that goes well with Beer – the art of Beer and Food Pairing.

Welcome to the exciting world of beer and food pairing! It’s a subject that’s always fascinated me, and I’m thrilled to share my insights with you.

Pairing beer and food is not just about matching flavors; it’s about creating a unified experience that elevates both elements. In other words, it’s about discovering the perfect combination of flavors that create something entirely new and unique.

The best way to approach beer and food pairing is to experiment, trial and error. There are no hard and fast rules, unlike wine pairing. However, there are some tips that you can follow or ignore, depending on your taste preferences.

For instance, if you love spicy food, pairing it with a hoppy IPA can bring out the heat. On the other hand, a crisp and cold pilsner can tone down the spiciness. If you have a sweet tooth, pairing a stout with chocolate notes with vanilla ice cream or raspberries can be a heavenly experience.

A light Saison can complement seafood, while a nice IPA can bring out the best in spiced lamb. Hard cider and pork are also a great pairing.

There really is no limit to the possibilities of beer and food pairing. You can also read books like:

Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros

It’s a great guide for both beginners and beer geeks in pairing beer with food.

Another way to improve your palate is to attend classes and events put on by breweries, restaurants, or importers. A beer pairing dinner is a great way to experience the art of pairing and experimenting. At the Hops and Harvest Beer event in San Diego, they have beer pairing dinners, where you can enjoy a six-course meal with beers to complement each dish. During the meal, the operations manager and chef explain why they chose each beer to go with a particular dish.  Check out your local scene – they are becoming more and more popular. 

A dietician – who is mostly a beer nut, once told me about the three C’s of beer and food pairing.

The Three C’s – Cut, Complement, Contrast

She said there are 3 C’s of food and beer pairing.  We’re not talking about diamond rings here (although she was probably trolling me), but foods that can be married to beers based on how they both affect each other.  Some beers cut through the flavor of your food, producing a fresh and new flavor. Others just easily complement each other perfectly.

Cut

Here we are talking about the beer’s ability to cut through bold and strong flavors in food most often spicy or fatty foods. What you do is pair these extreme and intense foods with beers that counter balance the opposing flavor and help take the edge off it. The beer helps to revive and refresh the palate with each sip. This is why for example that pale ales are often sold in Indian restaurants – they are known to cut through spicy curry dishes.

Complement

This is how the beer enhances the flavors in food and creates a harmony between the two. Look for flavors and aromas that are similar – bold beers will complement bold foods perfectly while hoppy and spicy beers are great for hot and spicy dishes. Like a dark ale will be awesome with a hearty and rich meat stew.

Contrast

Discovery – this is when a beer reveals a new layer that food just can’t deliver by itself. You wouldn’t think or expect oysters and stout to go well together, but together they have an amazing flavor and mouth-feel experiences. Both can have very different flavor profiles; the rich bitterness of the stout amplifies the silky smoothness of the oysters.  You gotta try this one!

With endless possibilities and combinations, you can pair beer with almost anything. Get started – get creative – get crazy! Check out the Best Beer to cook with. Who knows you might just find a new favorite. Cheers!