3-STEP, CAN’T FAIL GUIDE TO PAIRING BEER WITH FOOD

1. Match strength with strength

Delicate dishes work best with delicate beers, and strongly-flavored foods demand assertive beers. Intensity of flavor is not any single thing, but a sum of the taste experience. In beer, it may involve alcoholic strength, malt character, hop bitterness, sweetness, richness, roastiness and more. In food, richness, sweetness, cooking methods, spicing, texture and complexity all play a role.

2. Find harmony

The nutty flavors of an English-style brown ale and a handmade cheddar cheese, the deep, roasted flavors of imperial stout and chocolate truffles, the clean caramel flavors of an Oktoberfest lager and roasted pork are all examples of this.

3. Consider sweetness, bitterness, carbonation, heat (spice) and richness

Certain qualities of food and beer interact with each other in specific, predictable ways. Taking advantage of these interactions ensures that the food and beer will balance each other, with one partner not throwing the match out of whack. Carbonation is effective at cutting richness and malty sweetness cools the heat, so if you’re leaning towards a hoppy beer with spicy food, make sure it has plenty of malt as well.