The beer question I get asked second most often—behind “What’s your favorite beer?”—is, “How do you match beer with food?” It’s a loaded one that unfortunately doesn’t have a simple answer.
Photo: Alamy: Viktor Fischer
Some of it boils down to personal preference, but there are a few widely accepted tenets for making a harmonious marriage between good food and good beer.
If you’re familiar with pairing wine with food, you’ll already know the two overarching flavor theories of contrasting and complementary. Complementary means pairing drink and food in such a way that similar flavors highlight and enhance one another—pairing like with like. Contrasting flavors, on the other hand, work because they are dissimilar, standing in direct contrast to one another—salty and sweet, for instance, or fatty and acidic. Think salted caramels or Carolina-style pork barbecue with a vinegary sauce. With beer, this could mean pairing briny oysters on the half shell with robust dark Irish stout. Or a fatty sausage with a tart Berliner weisse.
Of course, there are overlaps with complementary and contrasting flavors—they’re rarely mutually exclusive. In fact, contrasting flavors and textures complement one another because they highlight and temper their disparate characteristics. It can be confusing. And believe me, nearly everyone struggles with it. But stick with a few general guidelines, and you’ll soon be enjoying your favorite brew alongside the perfect culinary partner.
TIPS ON BEER AND FOOD PAIRING
PAIR LIGHT WITH LIGHT. Light-colored beers like witbier, hefeweizen, and cream ale pair well with light-colored foods—ricotta toast with honey, raw and gently cooked seafood, weisswurst, and light pasta dishes.
SAISONS ARE GOOD ALL-ROUND BEERS. Saisons and farmhouse ales are the versatile workhorses of beer and food pairings. They often have a dry finish that’s refreshing and palate cleansing with each sip, and their earthy flavors pair well with a wide range of dishes from light salads and crudités to roasted chicken and grilled pork tenderloin.
DRINK PILSNERS AND PALE LAGERS WITH SPICY FOOD. My go-to for spicy dishes and other aggressive flavors is always a pilsner or light, international lager. They are practically the only beers consumed in countries with high-heat index cooking because they are thirst-quenching and refreshing. Most of all, they don’t compete with the flavor, heat, and spice—they play a supporting role.
FINISH STRONG. Like sherry and port, strong beers are best reserved for the end of a meal when the night is winding down and your stomach needs settling. They pair well with sweet foods and help with digestion.
Original illustration by Skatin Chinchilla
BEER & FOOD PAIRING
Food pairing isn’t just for wine enthusiasts—it’s also an essential skill for any beer expert. Follow the lines to discover which brew will perfectly enhance your favorite dish.
Beer and a burger? Yes please! But which beer? Almost any beer and food pairing should work well. But some beers can be paired with food to get a particularly delicious result. Light and fruity wheat beers provide an incredible sweet pairing to play off against salty food. Pilsners and lagers provide a refreshing companion to greasy food like pizza; heavier ales, rich in malt, go well with steaks. The possibilities are endless and it is all about experimenting. Follow the mazes below to discover some excellent combinations to start your food pairing journey.
Illustration: Tyler Gross
HEAR YE, HEAR YE! IPAS DO NOT BELONG AT THE DINNER TABLE
There’s an old bit of food and beer pairing wisdom that posits spicy dishes love hoppy beers. The truth, it turns out, is that hops accentuate spiciness, meaning IPAs and other hoppy beers are actually the worst ones for spicy dishes. When paired with spicy food they are not refreshing, they are not thirst-quenching, they are not palate-cleansing—they simply do not belong anywhere near spicy foods.
Pair IPAs with grilled hot dogs
Photo: Stocksy: Jelena Jojic Tomic
In fact, modern IPAs rarely pair well with any food. Their citrusy, piney, floral flavors are simply too aggressive, too palate coating, and too manifold to work with most food. IPAs entirely miss the mark of pairing beer and food—they don’t make food taste better and the food doesn’t make them taste better. That’s why I say forget IPAs when it comes to food.
That said, I’ll concede a couple of food scenarios where IPAs and other hoppy beers are not horrible matches with food. My favorite is grilled hot dogs. Because hot dogs are a singular, robust flavor, they present a rare chance for IPAs to shine in a setting where they don’t interfere or strike discord with complex tastes and aromas. Another good pairing is IPAs and salty potato chips.
You might notice a correlation here—IPAs tend to pair well with junk foods you would more likely encounter on the couch, at a bar, or at a cookout than in the dining room or at a restaurant table.
BEER RECIPES
Cooking with beer should be a fun experience, but it should also be a deliberate act—dumping a bottle of light lager into a big vat of dark-red chile hardly qualifies! Think about what you want to get out of the beer before adding it to a dish. Do you want to impart the beer’s flavor to the overall taste? Do you want to add steam and moisture? How’s color going to influence the finished product? These are considerations to weigh up before you get started.
A yeast bread works well flavored with beer
Photo: Shutterstock: Yurchenko Iryna
Beer can be used in any number of dishes, sometimes as a substitute for wine, but more often as a flavor component itself. Here are some tips:
1. BEER IS A FLAVOR COMPONENT, not just a liquid. This might seem painfully obvious, but when a recipe calls for “beer,” you’ll need to consider what other flavors are going on in there and how the beer you choose will interact with everything else.
2. BEER IS INHERENTLY BITTER and becomes ever more so when it reduces. So be sure to add some sweet element—sugar, honey, carrots—when braising with it. And stay away from super-bitter styles like American IPAs.
3. TASTE A HANDFUL OF BEERS to understand the character and flavors the beer will impart to your dish. Be critical—if you don’t like the beer, chances are you won’t like what it does to your food.
BEER CAN CHICKEN
Photo: Alamy: Beth Dixson
Beer Can Chicken is a staple of summertime barbecues and cookouts throughout the US, particularly in the South. The idea is simple—grill-roast a whole, dry-rubbed bird set vertically atop a beer can until the meat is moist and tender. The beer supposedly evaporates keeping the chicken moist while it cooks.
SINCE THE BEER DOESN’T IMPART MUCH FLAVOR TO THE CHICKEN, USE ANY BEER YOU’D LIKE. IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT THE BISPHENOL A LINING IN BEER CANS, USE A VERTICAL ROASTING STAND INSTEAD—THEY CAN BE PURCHASED AT MANY HARDWARE AND KITCHEN SUPPLY STORES. ALSO, FEEL FREE TO ADJUST THE DRY-RUB FORMULA AS YOU LIKE. THIS ONE IS TRADITIONAL, BUT PRACTICALLY ANY KIND OF MEAT SEASONING WOULD BE TASTY.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DRY RUB
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
1 tbsp light-brown sugar
1 tbsp coriander
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chile powder
3 tbsp smoked paprika
FOR THE CHICKEN
1 whole chicken, neck and giblets removed, about 4 to 5 lbs total
1 beer can
Barbecue sauce or other
basting liquid (optional)
METHOD
1. Mix all ingredients for the dry-rub in a bowl. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and coat it inside and out with the dry-rub. Let it rest until your grill is ready.
2. Heat a grill so that half the grilling area is hot and the other is merely warm. (If using a charcoal grill, push all the coals on one side; if using gas, turn one side to high and leave the other side turned off.)
3. Drink or pour half the beer from the can so that it’s half full. On a level surface, slide the bird over the beer can so that its inner thighs straddle the can and its cavity is stuffed. Balance the can-stuffed bird on the cool side of the grates and cover the grill.
4. Cook until the breast meat registers 165°F, about an hour to an hour and a half. Baste with barbecue sauce or other basting liquid throughout the cooking process, especially toward the end of cooking.
5. Rest the bird at least fifteen minutes before removing the beer can (caution: it may be hot!) and carving.
BEER CHEESE
Photo: iStock: VadimZakirov
Beer Cheese is readily available at most supermarkets, but try making your own with leftover scraps from last night’s cheese plate. You can use pretty much any fresh or soft cheese, as long as it’s not a hard or aged one. You’ll need about 12 oz total, softened to room temperature, to which you’ll add a little garlic, salt, paprika, and—of course—a splash of beer. Served with some toasted bread, a handful of crackers, and a few pickled veggies on the side, it’s one of the best beer snacks there ever was.
NOTE: USE ANY LIGHT-COLORED BEER YOU LIKE, BUT A CZECH-STYLE PILSNER LIKE PILSNER URQUELL IS OUR FAVORITE. IT’S AROMATIC, FLORAL, AND SPRIGHTLY ENOUGH TO CUT THROUGH THE RICHNESS OF THE DAIRY.
INGREDIENTS
¾ bottle/can of beer, such as Czech pilsner, Kölsch, or a light, not-too-hoppy pale ale
12 oz mixed soft cheese at room temperature—a blend of blue cheese, quark, farmer’s cheese, and/or Neufchâtel works perfectly
Generous pinch of paprika
Small clove of garlic, grated or minced
Generous pinch of salt
METHOD
1. Whisk the beer in a bowl until most of the carbonation is lost and the beer is flat. Alternatively, heat it in a pot on the stove for the same effect. Combine the flat beer with all remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
2. Line a mesh kitchen strainer with a dampened cheesecloth. Place the beer cheese mixture in the lined strainer and cover the top with plastic wrap. Set over a shallow bowl and let strain overnight in the fridge.
3. Uncover, remove the cheese from the strainer, and set on a plate or in a bowl. Sprinkle with paprika, garlic, and a pinch of fancy, flaky salt like Maldon. Serve alongside toasted baguette slices, crackers, pickled veggies, and crudités.
Stainless-steel beer kegs at the Great American Beer Festival. Each year, GABF represents the largest collection of US beer ever served, in a public tasting event plus a private competition. Founded in 1982, GABF has been growing along with the American craft brewing industry ever since.
Photo © Brewers Association
BEER-CANDIED BACON
Photo: iStock: FotografiaBasica
Candied bacon is a super-simple snack that comes together with just four ingredients—bacon, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and beer. You toss it in the oven, brush it with a little beer-sugar-cayenne mixture, et voila: one of the easiest, most delicious and crowd-pleasing snacks you can make.
FOR EXTRA-SMOKY FLAVOR TO MATCH THE INTENSITY OF THE BACON, TRY A RAUCHBIER FOR THE GLAZE.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb thick-sliced bacon
⅓ cup light-brown sugar
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ bottle robust dark ale like a brown ale, porter, or stout
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk the sugar, cayenne, and beer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for five or six minutes to form a thin glaze. (The beer will foam, but will naturally settle after a few minutes.) Allow to cool slightly.
2. Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Dip the bacon slices in the glaze and place on top of the rack in a single layer (work in batches if you need to).
3. Cook for fifteen minutes, then flip and brush the bacon with more glaze. Repeat two to three more times until the bacon is crisp, sticky, and brown.
4. Cool on the wire rack for at least thirty minutes before serving.
BLACK VELVET
Photo: iStock: futureimage
This classic mixed cocktail merges champagne with dark stout beer, two flavors that complement each other. It was first created in 1831 by Brook’s gentlemen’s club in London to symbolize mourning, following the death of Prince Albert.
A DARK STOUT LIKE GUINNESS EXTRA STOUT IS THE BEST TYPE OF BEER TO USE IN THIS COCKTAIL.
INGREDIENTS
½ glass chilled champagne or prosecco
¼ glass dark stout beer
METHOD
Half fill champagne flutes with dark stout beer, then slowly top them up with chilled champagne or prosecco. Achieve layering by pouring each over the back of a spoon down the sides of the glass.
FLAMING DR. PEPPER
Photo: iStock: Jonathan Austin Daniels
This drink is a shooter—one to drink down in one gulp—and it tastes just like Dr. Pepper. This is quite a strong drink, so you’ll want to limit yourself to one (or maybe two) a night.
USE A WHEAT ALE LIKE A BELGIAN WITBIER FOR THIS ONE-THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THE BANANA AND CLOVE NOTES IN WITBIER THAT REALLY WORKS WITH AND ECHOES THE ROBUST SPICY FLAVORS OF THE RUM AND AMARETTO.
INGREDIENTS
½ glass beer
¾ shot amaretto liqueur
¼ shot rum
METHOD
1. Half fill a pint glass with beer.
2. Pour the amaretto into a standard shot glass. Slowly pour the rum on top of the amaretto, so that it floats.
3. Carefully set the shot on fire, by touching it with an open flame.
4. Drop the lit shot into the half-full glass of beer and slam it down on the table.
CAUTION: ALWAYS TAKE GREAT CARE WHEN DEALING WITH AN OPEN FLAME!
MILK STOUT ICE CREAM
Photo: Stocksy: Sherry Heck
Stouts are an easy decision when it comes to dessert, as they contain all the flavors of dessert right in the glass—chocolate, coffee, and lactose sugar—making them perfect ingredients for baking. They work seamlessly in myriad dessert recipes like flourless chocolate cakes, stout brownies, and even Guinness floats.
THIS MILK STOUT ICE CREAM IS A SIMPLE PREPARATION PROVIDED YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS. INVEST IN AN ICE-CREAM MACHINE IF YOU CAN AFFORD ONE—IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY OVERALL, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE A WEEKLY ICE-CREAM EATER.
INGREDIENTS
7 oz semi-sweet or milk chocolate
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup milk stout (like Stone Xocoveza)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Go crazy with whatever stout you’d like here. We like Stone’s Xocoveza, which is a winter seasonal mocha stout with lactose, coffee, spices, and chile peppers that adds a beguiling twist to the ice cream. Imperial stouts could work here, too, though you may need to add an ounce or two more to make up for its thick, viscous consistency. Serve plain, with your favorite toppings, or as a beer float. Alternatively, top a scoop with a shot of espresso for a fun take on an affogato.
METHOD
1. Finely chop the chocolate and put in a bowl.
2. Gently warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly pour in the warm milk mixture. Return it all to the saucepan and heat until thickened.
3. Pour the hot milk and egg mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely incorporated and melted. Stir in the cream, stout, and vanilla.
4. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for freezing the mixture in an ice-cream maker. Serve with a tall glass of the same stout, or make a stout float with beer and ice cream.
WHICH BEER AM I?
We asked nine beer types to tell you a few things about themselves, without completely revealing who they are. Can you guess which variety each brew is? Oh, and by the way, the answers aren’t just within this chapter!
1. “I’M A STRONG, SWEET, AND SLIGHTLY SYRUPY SIDEKICK TO A DESSERT—OR JUST A WINNING WAY TO CAP OFF A FILLING MEAL, IF YOUR STOMACH NEEDS SETTLING.”
2. “I AM YOUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN THE FACE OF FLAMING FLAVORS. NEED AN ALLY TO DOUSE DOWN SOME SPICES AND PUT AGGRESSIVE TASTES IN THEIR PLACE? WELL, I’M YOUR BEER.”
3. “I’M THE PALATE CLEANSER. I HAVE A REFRESHING, DRY TANG THAT’S SURE TO KEEP YOU ALERT WHEN YOU CHOW DOWN, AND IF YOU HAVE SOME GRILLED CHICKEN OR PORK TENDERLOIN AROUND, I’LL HIT IT OFF WITH THEM JUST FINE.”
4. “TO BE SURE, I CAN THINK OF NOTHING BETTER THAN WRAPPING MY DARK, ROBUST FLAVOR SPECTRUM AROUND A BRINY OYSTER OR TWO!”
5. “IT’S NOT THAT I’M SLUMMING IT OR ANYTHING—IT’S JUST THAT I CAN ONLY SEEM TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH STUFF LIKE HOT DOGS OR POTATO CHIPS. AH WELL, SOMEONE HAS TO BE JUNK FOOD’S BEST PAL—MIGHT AS WELL BE ME.”
6. “IF YOU’RE WHIPPING UP A FLEMISH BEEF STEW AND WANT A LITTLE SWEET-AND-SOUR TOUCH, YOU COULD DO A LOT WORSE THAN POUR ME IN THE MIX—ALTHOUGH MAYBE I SHOULDN’T BE TALKING TO YOU, BECAUSE OF MY VOWS AND STUFF.”
7. “MY ARISTOCRATIC REPUTATION IS ONE OF A HARDY VOYAGER WHO WAS BREWED IN LONDON, THEN SHIPPED OUT TO RUSSIA’S MONARCHY AND THE BALTIC STATES—BUT SOMEONE MAY HAVE MADE ALL THAT UP. ONE THING’S FOR SURE, MY FLAVOR’S SO FOCUSED, IT’S DOUBLE-CONCENTRATED.”
8. “IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT TOAST FOR A PERFECT ROAST, I’M THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN. THE FLAVORS OF CARAMELIZED ONIONS, OVEN-SOFTENED VEGETABLES, AND SUCCULENT CHICKEN GET A REAL LIFT WHENEVER I’M AROUND.”
9. “I AM A FLAVOR CHAMELEON, ELUSIVE AND UNUSUAL—AND YET RIGHT FROM THE HEART OF EUROPE. BOASTING AROMATIC TOUCHES OF CLOVE, BANANA, CORIANDER, AND ORANGE PEEL, I BRING A NOTE OF UNDERSTATED FLAMBOYANCE TO THE TABLE.”
BEER COOKOUT WHAT TO PAIR WITH YOUR BACKYARD GRILL
Besides IPA, what other beers should you serve with grilled foods? Pilsners are never a bad option in summertime. But for a more exciting, exacting pairing, try some of these!
GRILLED CHICKEN Brown ales and other beers with malt-forward flavors pair well with grilled chicken. The meat is essentially a blank canvas, so the dominant flavor is smoke, marinade, and char. Go with a fruity, yeast-driven beer like a Belgian dubbel.
GRILLED FISH Fish is a broad category, so go with a beer that is equally versatile and multifaceted. Saisons are a good option because they’re bubbly, effervescent, and dry—they also pair well with shellfish and oysters.
Backyard-grilled fish
Photo: Stocksy: Jelena Jojic Tomic
CHARRED BURGERS Charred red meat needs some texture, so find a beer that will stand up to the meat. That doesn’t necessarily mean high-alcohol or strong beers—try to find a beer with some chewiness and structure. Coffee stouts and robust porters are at the top of my list.
SMOKED BARBECUE Smoked meats need an equally robust beer to stand up to their heady flavors. I like malty, strong dark beers like Scotch ales with a barbecue. Many are slightly smoky and peaty, which matches perfectly with perfumed, fatty meat.
GRILLED SAUSAGES For light sausages, go with weissbier and pilsner. For meatier, porkier sausages, choose something heftier like a doppelbock.
ALTERNATE HOT DOG PAIRING Other than IPA, pair hot dogs with tart American-style goses. As these are light and refreshing, they pair well with fatty hot dogs.
Smoky, peaty ales pair well with meat
Illustration: Tyler Gross