Beer and Food Pairings Guide

Beer and Food

Pairings Guide by

Bonnie and Clyde URBAN TOURS

Imagine tasting a curated menu of delicious Greek craft beers paired with divine dishes from the Cretan gastronomy. That's the experience we create on our Craft Beer & Food Tours in Crete, Greece.

Pairing the best Greek beers with authentic local food is one of our specialties & passions at Bonnie and Clyde Urban Tours. We love blowing the minds of our guests on our tours, by presenting a rich experience of harmonizing flavours & aromas.

To give you all beer and food lovers a sampling of how we make the tasty magic happen, here is our guide to the 3 Best Ways to Pair Beer and Food.

Beer and food are soul mates; a pairing guide made in heaven.

Although wine is commonly thought to pair with meals (red for meat and white for fish, right!?), today we place BEER at the center of the table & at the top tier of gastronomy; its rightful place. 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

The limitless spectrum of flavours found across the range of beer styles has arguably more potential to pair with just about all dishes all over the world than any other single beverage.

The spread of colours, textures, aromas, tastes & strengths which beer offers harmonize with food effortlessly & delightfully for the senses. It can reach dimensions no others: sweet, bitter, tart, fruity, toasty, herbal, spicy, crisp, vanilla, chocolate & even nutty.

In its 6,000 years of history, beer has evolved with traditions honed into excellence & regional character along with local cuisines.

Grains such as barley, wheat, corn, oats & rye form the back bone of the beer giving sweetness, bready, caramel & roasted touches. Hops add bitterness & aromas ranging from citrus, resiny, to fruity or tropical. Yeast brings body, carbonation, spice & funk.

Craft beer as a movement aims to build on the rich brewery past & innovate a new galaxy of game-changing flavours.

My favourite part was the food pairings.

I never paid attention to how the food could change the taste of the beer.

It was mind blowing!

"

- Roxanna from Rotterdam

BROWSE BEER & FOOD TOURS, GREECE

How to pair beer with food is a hot topic during our Craft Beer Tours, creating lively conversations and tasting sessions. We offer ideas way beyond the classic « beer & pizza » combo & open minds into a universe of enjoyment.

Each Winter, while we put our non-touristy tours on seasonal pause, we work behind the scenes to refine our menus, beer selection & dishes with our suppliers to always enrich the gastronomic experiences on our Craft Beer & Food tours in Crete, Greece.

We love what we do! For you all to enjoy the delights of beer with food at home, at the bar or restaurant, today's blogpost shared helpful ideas on how we make the magic happen.

Here is our Beer and Food Pairing Guide, including three main strategies we use, with some best tips from our experience and pairing suggestions for all you beer lovers.

TIP 1: COMPLEMENT

Pair beer & food with similar flavours

With the Complement method, we aim to highlight the flavours found in the beer by selecting foods with similar 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. Look dynamic duos, fusion, points of connection and choices that are alike. More is more.

To find out what a certain beer flavour profile is, you may refer to: the label's description, a quick online search of the beer name and style, beer style guides or a beer app like Untappd.

TRY MATCHING:

Light fruity ales with fruits (peach, apple, pear, green grapes)
Pale lagers with plain corn chips, rusks, lightly garnished pizzas
Wheat beers such as hefeweizen with bready foods (biscuits, scones, pastries), citrus (orange)
Hoppy beers and IPAs with citrus, berries, tropical fruits (according the hops used), leafy greens (chard, arugula)
Brown ales with nutty desserts
Amber & red ales with caramel, toffee, dry nuts, creme brûlée
Dark, roasted beers with espresso, smoked cold-cuts, mushrooms or meatballs
Dark, sweet beers with milk chocolate, cake, cookies, caramelized 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.

Our best advice?

Try a multitude of options. Try and try 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 beer & food 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 its table companion.

By creating a duality between different characteristics, we allow multiple parts of our senses of smell and taste to be stimulated simultaneously. The volume of the experience turns up as more sensors get turned on in our bodies. The key is to play with the five basic tastes the tongue can detect & make them interact: sour, bitter, salty, sweet and umami.

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 savory empanadas or smoked pork
Pale lagers with creamy risotto
Wheat beers with seafood
Hoppy beers & 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
Dark, roasted beers with roasted vegetables, rochford cheese, smoked gouda
Dark, sweet beers with peppery dishes, rye bread sandwich
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.

To nail the Contrast pairing style, one must keep trying new combinations. You may find that some combos will mask all the flavours and those are great lessons as you move along. Start in simple ways, play it safe as you begin and progress with more boldness from there. Allow your curiosity & imagination to explore freely and play! Incredible surprises await you.

TIP 3: Go WILD

Pair beer with something totally out of the box

Throw the rules and over-thinking out the window! The Go Wild method embraces an "anything goes" philosophy. This is flavour freestyle, ad-lib. 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 still to this day.

Pro: surprise yourself; 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 because theory will only get you so far. Get out there & experiment, just as beer lovers have done for ages.

Catch the article written about us Pouring Abroad, Summer 2024 Edition of Poured Magazine Canada with a special interview, including our favourite beer pairings for Greek dishes!

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

When you visit Greece, we’ll welcome you to join our experiences & revel in our award-winning Beer & Food Pairing Menus on our Sunset Craft Beer & Food Tour & the Cruise Ship Guest Beer Tour, in Chania’s Venetian Harbour and our other non-touristy tours!

BROWSE BEER & FOOD TOURS, GREECE

Until then, keep having fun trying the Complement, Contrast and Go Wild pairing styles in the comfort of your home, local bar or while travelling.