Beer and Wine Weekly Update: July 28, 2015

By Brian Wendt, Beer and Wine Department

Beer and Food Pairings
Hey everyone, this week I want to talk about pairing beer with food and give some tips for finding the right flavor combinations.  Most people are familiar with wine and food pairings, but what about beer and food?  Since beer comes in so many different and unique styles, with an infinite amount of nuances and complexity of flavors, it’s nearly impossible to not find the right beer for a certain dish.  Beer can complement, emphasize, or even contrast with the flavors of a meal.   

Here are some of my favorite pairings of dishes with beers from our current selection:

Salad + Wheat beer: Wheat beers and salads go very well together and I especially like fruitier wheat beers with my salads.

Suggested beer pairings: Bent Hill Strawberry Wheat, Harpoon Raspberry UFO, or 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat

Indian or Thai curry + IPA: IPA’s and hoppy beers work extremely well with spicy foods like Indian or Thai curry.  The bitterness from the hops cuts through the spiciness of the curry, creating intense flavors that balance each other nicely.  IPA’s and spicy tacos are great too.

Suggested beer pairings:  Six Point Bengali Tiger IPA, Green Flash Soul Style IPA, or Lawson’s Finest Liquids Super Session #2 (available on Wednesdays with Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine delivery)

Hamburgers/Veggie Burgers and fries + Pale Ales or Pilsners: Nothing beats having a light, flavorful beer with pub food.  Alternatively, a darker beer like an English Brown or a Vienna-style Lager works well too.

Suggested beer pairings: Maine Beer Company Peeper Ale, Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yellow Pils, or Hop Valley Double D Blonde Ale

Dessert + Porter or Stout: The dark roast and robust flavors from Porters and Stouts go well with the sweetness of dessert dishes. Flavors can complement or contrast: for example a Chocolate Stout goes great with either vanilla or chocolate ice cream. 

Suggested food and beer pairings: Founder’s Porter with a vanilla sundae, Lagunitas Imperial Stout with coffee cake, or Northshire Chocolate Stout with white chocolate cheesecake.

Brunch + Hefeweizen or Belgian Witbier: Ever try a Bavarian or Belgian-style wheat beer with brunch? It’s a fantastic combination!

Suggested food and beer pairings: Queen City Hefeweizen with blueberry pancakes, Unibroue Blanche de Chambly with Belgian waffles, or Two Roads No Limits Hefeweizen with cinnamon French toast.

That’s all for this week, cheers!