Fresh Pairings

The softer, juicier style of IPA that Braddock, Pennsylvania’s Brew Gentlemen brews lends itself to a whole new world of food pairings. “I used to hate hearing about people pairing IPA with spicy food, like jerk chicken and curry,” Cofounder Matt Katase says. “My fear was that we would get pigeon-holed into this IPA category when there is so much to do within it.”

Brew Gentlemen’s style of soft and elegant hoppy beers makes for more pairing possibilities, he explains, citing a past beer dinner that paired General Braddock’s, their flagship IPA, with ribs and fried chicken with sweet barbecue sauce. “The combination had this great smokiness from the chicken, so it was nice and savory. Typically you’d pair something like lager with backyard food, but our IPA was perfect.”

Another memorable pairing, Katase says, was Akamai (their summer DIPA) alongside a raspberry-and-blood-orange ice cream sandwich with snickerdoodle cookies.