When we think of beer and food pairings, the only ones we can come up with are probably: beer and nuts, beer and chips, and beer and hot chicken wings. In fact, when we drink beer it’s usually at the bar with friends and it involves lots of talking and lots of laughter. A meal is something taken before or after the actual beer drinking session.
Little do we know there are actually a number of great beer and food pairings. Wine isn’t the only drink that can complement your favourite meal. Beer, with its many different types of brews and types of fermentation, is a great alternative to wine when it comes to food and drink pairing.
These are the eight great beer and food pairings you should try:
1. Cheese and Any Beer
We’ve heard that wine is great to pair with cheese. Now, you have another option that is also pretty good, beer. The bite that comes from the carbonation of beer can be a good balance to the taste of cheese. If you have a strong cheese though like blue cheese, it will be good to pair it with a dark lager.
2. Pizza and Lager
We may have heard of this pairing before but some may not be sure what type of beer is best to pair with pizza. Well the answer is lager. Lager has a rich caramel-like flavour that provides a light feel. This is a great complement to pizza which has a strong taste.
3. Pasta and Ale
For pasta with creams and sauces it’s greatly paired with beer that has a rich and heavy taste like ale. For other types of pasta, you can opt for a lighter beer to not overpower its taste.
4. Mexican Dishes and Pilsner
Drinking pilsner provides a refreshing finish. It’s considered by many as a thirst-quenching beer. It also has a light hoppy taste which is good to pair with Mexican dishes which has a savoury taste. Pilsner is also good to pair with Indian and Asian dishes.
5. Japanese Dishes and Wheat Beer
When you think of Japanese dishes, you may immediately think of pairing it with sake. But there other drinks you can enjoy with it, like wheat beer. Wheat beer has fruity flavours with a hint of spiciness which is perfect for any Japanese dish.
6. Seafood and Oktoberfest Lager
Oktoberfest is a German lager best known for its yearly event. The beer has a dominantly malty taste that’s not overwhelming. It has a sweet accent to it and leaves you with a mildly bitter and spice-dry aftertaste. It’s greatly paired with any type of seafood, though it may be more popularly known to be paired with Bavarian meat dishes as is followed during the Oktoberfest annual celebration.
7. Grilled Steak and Lager
Grilled steak and chicken is best paired with a lager which provides a crisp taste. It also has a rich caramel-like taste that would greatly complement the taste of grilled meat.
8. Chocolate and Stout
Dessert and beer may seem like an unusual combination but pairing chocolate and stout offers you a satisfying eating experience. Stout has a rich and full flavour consisting of hints of coffee, molasses and liquorice which leaves you with a bittersweet aftertaste. You can pair stout with chocolate, brownies or a rich dessert. Aside from stout you can also pair chocolate with ales and lagers.
Now when you order beer online, at a grocery or at a bar, you won’t think of beer as a just means to get inanely drunk with friends or as a sweet way to end a tiring day. Now you know it can also be paired with food to provide you with a great dining experience. With the right beer you can enjoy your favourite meals more and delight your taste buds and create an amazing gastronomic experience.
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By Debra Wright
Debra Wright is a Marketing specialist, cupcake enthusiast and online author trying to make a mark in the web in not less than 500 words. Her motto: keep to your side of the bed. Follow her on twitter @debrawrites…
