You might be a beer enthusiast but not sure where to start when it comes to enjoying food that is complemented by the right beer. Similar to certain wines accompanying different dishes, there are some beers that pair well with particular foods. You’ll want to find beers that boost the foods flavouring rather than overpowering it.
Firstly you need to think about what you want to achieve when pairing food and drinks- what are your flavour goals?
Compliment
This means matching your drink flavours to your food flavours. So you’ll be putting together types of beer and food which follow the same features, for example sweet and sweet or bitter with bitter.
Contradict
This is the opposite of compliment where you can really taste the difference to the strong flavourings and create balance. For instance this would include combinations such as cool and spicy or sour and salty. In this sense you can even use the beer as a palate cleanser.
Supplement
Supplementing is combining flavours to create an entirely new taste. These are unique mixes that you wouldn’t necessarily think of putting together straight away like a sweet beer but salty food.
Feel free to experiment with your tastebuds but here are our recommendations on what food does beer pair well with-
Lager and Pilsner
For light beer, we’d recommend pairing them with salty foods such as olives and capers, as light lagers usually go better with savoury foods. A pilsner beer is drier than lager and has citrus notes which make it great for drinking while you enjoy fish and chips or chicken and lemon.
Wheat Beer
Wheat beers are known to suit various types of foods due to their light grain characteristics. Buffalo wings, spicy foods, fruit tarts and pastries are stand out winning combinations when partnered with a wheat beer.
Pale Ale and Indian Pale Ale IPAs
Medium body beers like pale ales, have lower alcohol content and a fine distinctive taste. They are one of the most popular craft beers at the moment as the bitterness comes right to the forefront. Hoppy bitter IPAs can keep their strong flavours with mexican food, steak, ribs and bolder IPAs are great with fried food or spicy Indian curries.
Blonde Ale
Blonde ales have a mild malt flavour with low to medium hop bitterness. This easy drinking lager goes together nicely with sweet and spicy foods such as tacos, spaghetti with meatballs, fruit or brie.
Stout and Porter
A darker, fuller beer like a porter or stout works well with robust meaty foods. Porter is made with roasted brown malts so they are a lot richer than other beers and are surprisingly easy to pair with different foods. Porter is great for accompanying blue cheese such as stilton, as well as mushroom based dishes for a rich blend of flavours.
Whereas stout is known for its black colour and dark roasted flavour. Usually featuring strong hints of chocolate and coffee, it has a smooth consistency. Famously, stout compliments rich seafood such as lobster, shellfish or scallops.
For a sweeter option, brownies and other chocolate desserts are delicious alongside an oatmeal stout.
Our beers at Yorkshire Heart
If you’re looking for beers to accompany your food dishes, we have a range of beers available for you to buy, straight from our very own brewery! Whether you’re looking for a strong stout, hearty bitter or a citrus pale ale, we will have the drink to suit your tastes! Take a look at our shop now.