Craft
Beer
Pairing
Learning to Pair
Consuming craft beer is not just about having a drink, it’s an experience. Brewers
perfect their beverages to entice your taste buds and all your other senses. Much like
wine, there are foods which pair perfectly with the different types of beers.
Impress the guests at your next dinner party by offering foods that complement
their favorite craft beers. Here are some great tips to remember from the American
Brewer’s Association when you’re planning the meal for your next get together.
Take Advantage of Strengths
The balance between craft beer and food is a ine line. If one or the other
overpowers their companion’s tastes or aromas, the results will fall lat.
Understanding how certain qualities in each item works together will enhance the
experience.
• Hop bitterness and roasted malt: These features help balance the sweetness and
richness to meals. They work best with foods rich in fat. You will also ind that these
two components emphasize the spiciness in meals. When looking to add an extra
punch to your favorite spicy dish, the bitterness in hops will bring it to the forefront.
• Sweet beers: Consider pairing these special brews when you’re aiming to balance
the heat and acidity in meals.
Pair Your Favorite Type
Understanding the interactions between special brews and their food
counterparts is a good start when learning to pair the two. You should also consider
these meals when planning an event with your favorite type of craft beer.
• Pale ale: Great for dinner or dessert, serve with grilled burgers, cheddar cheese
and even maple-bread pudding.
• Porter: Are you a smoked-meat enthusiast? Porter beers offer an incredible pair
with barbecue, blackened ish and sausage.
• Amber ale: Serve this reddish beer with spicy foods, chicken or banana-pound
cake.
A Handcrafted Fort George Vortex IPA paired with Rock Fish Tacos
loaded with seasoned rock ish, black beans, shredded cabbage, diced
red onion, house-made salsa and tequila jalapeno carrot relish.
• Wheat ale: This American favorite works best with light meals like salads, sushi
and vegetable dishes.
Don’t hesitate to experiment when inding the pairings that impress your friends
and hit the mark for your experience. Once you get the hang of it, it can be fun to
brew your own recipe that compliment your favorite dish.
+ More pairing tips
Salt and Ale
Most sandwiches or beef you ind in the restaurant
will be salted, as will the chips or fries that go with it.
The perfect way to wash that sodium down is a
medium-lavored IPA or American ale.
While a light lager won’t fully cleanse your palate, a
fuller body will work together with the food and your
taste buds to enhance your dining pleasure.
12 • Craft Beer 2018 • www.dailyastorian.com
Get Smokey
Not for everyone, smoked beer is a nearly perfect
complement to any type of similarly smoked meat.
Whether you prefer barbecue, salmon or beef brisket
from the smoker, the varying notes of barley and
bitterness from a smoked beer provide quite a one-two
punch.
Go Seasonal with Seafood
Summer is the perfect time to crack into a juicy lobster
or bite into a plump shrimp. And with seasonal summer
blondes or ales, you have the perfect partner to inish off
a delicious seafood meal.
Staying light and seasonal instead of dark and
overpowering will help your taste buds stay focused on
the task at hand – enjoying that succulent feast.