BEER & FOOD:
BETTER FRIENDS THAN YOU MIGHT THINK
by Tim Vandergrift


Wine and food pairing is such an ubiquitous part of our industry that it’s rarely given much thought these days. Beverage reps help train our staff on their wines, our chefs plan specials against the wine list and many of our customers are educated well beyond “red with beef, white with fish” and they can easily choose between New Zealand sauvignon blanc and Italian pinot grigio.

But there is another beverage in your arsenal that can conquer the most complex foods with ease. It goes better with cheese than any wine ever will, and comes at a price point that encourages customers to experiment and to make extra purchases when it works well. What is this miracle beverage? Beer. 

For many licensees, while beer is an important part of their product mix, it’s usually an afterthought (unless the taps aren’t working, or there are out-of-stocks on the order). Two things, however, have worked to reform beer’s image as a simple, thirst-quenching beverage. First, the US craft-beer movement of the 80s introduced flavourful beers with a unique character to a North American market that had previously only offered simple lagers and a few imports. Second, European beer culture, particularly the wonderfully diverse cuisine of Belgium, has sparked chefs to stretch their talents with beer-inspired dishes, and many brewpubs and dedicated beer bars have sprung up to satisfy the thirsts of beer-educated consumers. 

Getting started on beer and food can be intimidating. Unless you have a hard-core beer geek on staff, the difference between German wiessbier and Belgian witbier might seem subtle or even nonexistent, and pairing a food with stout might seem downright silly. But don’t worry: just like wine, there are a few simple guidelines that can help match food to beer successfully.

Speaking of wine, we can crib a lot of work from the efforts of the wine industry in food pairing. Wineries and distributors have ceaselessly promoted their products with food, giving excellent tie-ins for menu items and beverage offerings. By understanding the flavours of beers available to us, and equating those to wine, we can pair them with equivalent foods. 

When matching food and wine we look at several factors, principally: red vs. white, intensity of flavour, tannin, acidity, and sweetness. From this list we have to more or less drop tannin, as the astringency that red wine tannins have doesn’t have an analogue in beer - in fact, it’s counted as a serious flaw in most beers. 

That doesn’t mean that we have to give up pairing beer with red-wine type foods. Think of the ales on your beer list as red wines, and the lagers as whites. The darker and heavier an ale, the more it will perform like a darker, heavier red wine with food. The paler and lighter a lager is, the better it will represent a light, delicate white wine, while more robust Czech or German pilsners will represent big, full-bodied chardonnay. 

Extending this idea, pale ale is perfect with lamb, roasts, and steaks. If you’ve got an intensely flavoured red meat dish try a dark, rich stout. Most people don’t remember that porterhouse steak gets its name from being served with porter, the intense, roasty black ale from England. Game, venison, and stews often have stronger flavours. These require a richer flavour, which amber and brown ales, being slightly sweeter and fuller-bodied can deliver.
On the other hand, lager pairs wonderfully with grilled or roast chicken and fish. One caveat: while the big brewers make fabulously light, thirst-quenching lagers, they are usually so light they rarely have the intensity of flavour or the body to complement or contrast a dish very well. Save those for hot summer patio days or an order of nachos. On the other hand, a generous malty-hoppy Czech pils will complement blackened snapper brilliantly.

When considering intensity of flavour, make sure that your food and beer are evenly matched on the battlefield for the customer’s palate. Just as you wouldn’t serve a 16% ABV Italian Amarone with a simple sautéed veal medallion, or a delicate German kabinett with venison stew, match the right intensity of food and flavour in the beer so they can work together to enhance the dining experience. 

Acidity in wine is best compared to hops in beer. Hops are the flowering cone of a climbing vine. They provide beer with a distinct bitter edge and a floral, spicy, or even citrusy character. If a dish would call for a crisp, acidic wine, think of a hoppy, bitter beer such as an India pale ale, or a German pilsner, both of which can cut through acidity - even if the sauce has vinegar in it, something most wines simply can’t cope with. Hops can also cut through oiliness or fattiness, cleansing the palate, and refreshing the taste buds. 

Sweetness in a beer is pretty simple. When matching up your cuisine, make sure the beer is sweeter than the food being served - almost nothing washes out the flavour of beer like an intensely sweet food. The one exception to this is chocolate. Surprisingly, chocolate pairs up brilliantly with dry stout. Fred Eckhardt, the dean of American beer writers, has been holding chocolate and stout tastings for years. A chewy, dense brownie paired with a creamy, intense stout is a revelation, and floating a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream in Guinness may seem over the top, but it’s an adult dessert that’s very nearly addictive to beer lovers. 

There is one unsung hero in beer and food pairing, and that’s wheat beer. It’s often regarded as a simple thirst-quencher, but for unmatched versatility in food pairing wheat beer is a true ace-in-the-hole. Light hop bitterness, delicate fruitiness, and frothy effervescence make it an analogue of champagne - good with everything, bad with nothing. Eggs, usually impossible to match with wine, come alive with wheat beer, and the carbonation cuts through oily sausages or bacon at brunch. Unaffected by acidity, it works with dressed salads, fruity so it works with shellfish, and crisp enough to work with spicy-hot foods, it should be top-of-mind when menu planning for beer. 

While this is a good start on food and beer pairing, there is a world of possibilities waiting for you and your menu. Consult with your beer representatives (remember, they work for you) to see if they can put together a pairing list for your menu and specials, and be sure to keep an open mind when trying new combos - a stout float just may be in your future!