Choosing the Right Beer for Your Food
Food and beer pair like wine, with certain foods complementing the flavor of a particular style of beer. But, like with wine, a little knowledge goes a long way in helping you find the right pairing.
Choosing the Right Beer for Your Food
There are lots of different styles of beer, and they vary in color, flavor and appearance. From a light, crisp pilsner to a dark, rich stout, there’s something for every taste.
Complementing flavors – When matching beer with food, consider complementary flavors: sweet and salty; sour and bitter; cool and hot. For example, chocolatey stouts with oysters and spicy Thai food are excellent matches.
Contrasting flavors – Beers can also be paired with food that contrasts with one another: light wheat beer with Korean fried chicken; or a dry, light pilsner with Buffalo cauliflower burgers.
Cleansing your palate – Beer can be used as a palate cleanser by cutting through the fattiness of pizza or the oily sauce of fried fish. A crisp, light lager or pale ale is the best choice to cut through fatty and salty foods.
There are many stouts that can be enjoyed with chocolate desserts, as well as fruit-based lagers that go great with puddings and cobblers. Stouts are also an excellent beer to pair with cheese, as their rich and roasty flavor is perfect for the sweet, nutty and creamy taste of many varieties of cheese.