Three Tips To Pair Beer With Food

Bonnie and Clyde Urban Tours
Nov 25
4 min read

PAIRING BEER AND FOOD GOES WAY Beyond PRETZELS.

TO MAKE magic combinations happen, here are three tips to pair beer with food.

Pairing the epic Greek gastronomy with local Greek craft beers is our passion. Imagine the harmony of flavours when you taste a fruity blonde ale from Crete Island with an oven-baked cheese pie kalitsouni or smoked marinated pork apaki... That's the mouth-watering experience we create on our Craft Beer & Food Tours in Crete, Greece.

Although wine is commonly thought to pair with meals, today we place BEER at the centre of the table & at the top tier of gastronomy. Beer and food are soul mates. As beer author Randy Mosher writes:

« To amaze people and change minds, we need to make sure people see beer as a beverage that is comfortable at the highest level of gastronomy. It’s a big task, not because beer isn’t up to it but because we are challenging 2,500 years of blah-blah-blah about how wine is superior to beer. » 1

BROWSE BEER & FOOD TOURS IN GREECE

Here are our best three tips to pair beer and food. Enjoy!

TIP 1: COMPLEMENT

PAIR beers & foods with similar flavours

With the Complement method, we aim to highlight the flavours found in the beer by selecting foods with similar flavour qualities.

We begin by matching the intensity of the beer & food.

Light beers go with delicate eats. Strong beers align with bold foods. This approach amplifies the beer's existing character by adding complexity from foods in the same realm.

TRY MATching:

Light fruity ales with fruits (peach, apple, pear, green grapes)
Pale lagers with plain corn chips, lightly garnished pizzas, pretzels
Wheat beers such as hefeweizen with bready foods (biscuits, scones, pastries), citrus tarts (orange)
Hoppy beers like IPAs with citrus, berries, tropical fruits (according the hops used), greens (arugula)
Brown ales with nutty desserts
Amber & red ales with caramel, dry nuts, crème brûlée
Roasted dark beers with espresso, smoked cold-cuts, mushrooms or meatballs
Sweet dark beers with milk chocolate, cake, ice cream, caramelised onions
Sour & Wild beers with aged cheeses, dark berries, fermented foods

Pro: the flavours can intensify into a large, full, can-miss-it taste.

Con: in some cases, the food could over-power the beer and it could get lost.

Try a multitude of options. Try again and again.

You will know when you've found a great match when your taste buds light up and both beer & food taste better.

TIP 2: contrast

PAIR beerS & foodS with opposing flavours

This approach embraces the philosophy that opposites attract.

The Contrast method consist in matching a beer with a food completely unlike it to create synergy: two substances combined to produce a sum greater than its parts. They both get to shine brighter, thanks to their table companion.

By creating edges between different characteristics, we allow multiple parts of our senses of smell and taste to be stimulated simultaneously. The enjoyment volume turns up as more sensors get turned on in our bodies.

Find foods that counterparts the beer’s flavours, so they may explode into a new dimension that neither could attain on its own.

TRY MATCHING:

Light fruity ales with savoury empanadas, smoked pork, smooth cheeses
Pale lagers with creamy risotto
Wheat beers with seafood
Hoppy beers like IPAs with spicy foods (Asian soups, jerk chicken), fresh tomatoes, Greek salad
Brown ales with sweet chip flavours (barbecue, all dressed), ice cream (pecan, caramel)
Amber & red ales with marinated mushrooms, dried meats, nut butters spreads
Roasted dark beers with roasted vegetables, Roquefort cheese, smoked Gouda
Sweet dark beers with peppery dishes, white cheese
Sour & Wild beers with sharp aged cheddar, stuffed vine leaves, fresh seafood

Pro: get ready for some mind-blowing, taste bud exploding, soul-shaking revelations.

Con: some matches won't work out as they will mismatch; neither the beer nor the food will taste better.

Start in simple ways, play it safe as you begin and eagerly progress with more boldness from there. Allow your curiosity & imagination to explore freely and play! Incredible surprises await you.

TIP 3: go WILD

PAIR beerS with FOODS totally out of the box

Throw the rules and over-thinking out the window! The Go Wild method embraces an "anything goes" philosophy. Without rhyme or reason, with spontaneity and curiosity at their peak, allow matching beers and foods that wouldn't have crossed your mind otherwise.

Focus on asking "I wonder what beer X and food Y would taste like together...", thinking out of the box.

This is how we came up with this Greek pairing of tzatziki & local tomato fritters paired with a local Chania hazy pale ale; a mind-blowing match made in heaven which we often use on our craft beer & food tours in Greece still to this day.

Pro: total freedom to explore instinctively can create amazing discoveries.

Con: the bigger the risk, the greater the fall; get ready for some massive flops.

Even through the matching fails and flops of this method, keep going! You never know which surprise is around the corner. Be bold and enjoy the ride just as beer lovers have done for ages.