Skip the Wine: Pairing Beer with Food

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There's nothing like a nice cold beer to wash down your food. Not so long ago, the choices were pretty limited if you wanted a beer with a meal, so people were often more likely to choose wine if they wanted a sophisticated drink to complement the tastes of the food. But no more.

The massive craft beer movement has made interesting, delicious, versatile beers widely available everywhere, giving you more choice than ever before when you're picking a drink for with dinner. But, like wines, you should carefully match a beer to the food you're eating if you want it to work well. Here are some ideas for effective beer matching.

Spicy food

To cut through strong, spicy tastes, a light lager or pilsner is an excellent choice. The sharp, hoppy taste is really refreshing and almost palate-cleansing but also complements spicy food well. Alternatively, a crisp IPA adds stronger hops and elements of citrus that work particularly well with Indian or Thai food.

Red meat

Just as you'd normally go for a bold, rich red wine to complement steak or pork, a dark, malty ale works very well with red meat. Better still, a stout or porter really helps to bring out the richness of your food. Look out for smoked porter, which is incredible with grilled foods.

Chicken

An IPA is often the perfect companion to chicken dishes, particularly if there's any citrus in the recipe. If you're eating chicken with creamy sauce, try a sharp wheat beer, and if it's grilled or has smoky flavours, a fruit beer can make a really interesting counterpart.

Fish

Ice cold lager will always be a popular choice for pairing with seafood dishes, as the sharper acidic flavours just work so well. If you feel like trying something different, though, saison is an oft-neglected beer style that makes a good partner to fish.

Fruity dessert

Fruit-based desserts have more delicate flavours, so you don't want to overpower them with too much boldness in your glass. You may be lucky enough to find a beer on offer that contains fruit, perfectly echoing the taste of your dessert. If not, a Belgian trippel or blond ale is a safe choice.

Chocolate dessert

For rich, chocolatey desserts, it has to be porter or stout. There are quite a few breweries that produce examples of these beers with added chocolate, which will send you to dessert heaven in a pairing.

Try out these different types of beer at your local bar and grill!

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28 May 2017

Bacon and eggs for breakfast

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