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beer and food

post #1 of 18
11/26/07 at 5:03am
Thread Starter 
I dont know if this is the right place to post but I have a friend that claims that beer and certain foods can be paired to make the food taste better just like you can do with wine. Does anyone have any experience with this?
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post #2 of 18
11/26/07 at 8:38am
One of the towns in my area has an annual "Blues & Brews Fest", a music and microbrew event. When I owned my restaurant and that event would roll around I would always do a five course beer and food pairing dinner. It was always well received and a lot of fun!
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post #3 of 18
11/26/07 at 4:46pm
Yes there are beer and food pairings, as well as cheese... in fact some cheese goes better with beer than wine.

There is lots of info out there on this topic, as it is now (finally) getting the press it deserves.

G.
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post #4 of 18
11/26/07 at 6:19pm
Beer is more versatile than wine with food. Proven fact, ask any beer guy.
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post #5 of 18
11/27/07 at 2:20am
i work at a brewpub. i'm not a big fan of 'cooking' with our beer (it's incredibly hoppy, which = bitter when cooked down (marinatining is another story, though)), but we've done cheese and beer pairings in the past.

most notable was Saint Agur (double cream blue) spread on a crostini with some locally farmed honey drizzled on top paired with our imperial oatmeal stout. it was what heaven will taste like.

we paired five of our beers with different cheeses at that time and i found almost too much information online about beer pairings (mostly beer and cheese pairings).

it's not weird, just not widespread at this point. give it a couple years.
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post #6 of 18
11/27/07 at 3:43am
That's something that almost every Brewmaster that I have spoken with has commented on... The race in the Pac NW to 'overload' with hops.


G.
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post #7 of 18
11/27/07 at 12:06pm
Just like wine beer can definately be paired with food to make both taste even better. In recent years beer and food pairing has come into its own (though people have been pairing beer and food since the beginning of brewing). With the resurgence of good beer people rediscovered just how versatile beer can be. There is a lot of information about beer and food pairings out there nowadays, but to get you started, when thinking about pairing food and beer, pick out a beer style, find out what part of the world that style comes from and then pair it with foods from the same area. Beer and foods evolved hand in hand so it is no coincidence that German style beers go well with German beers, Belgian beers go with Belgian food, English beers go with English food etc. Of course this is a very simplified way to create beer and food pairings but it will get you started. But just like with wine and food pairings you can get quite deep, breaking down beers and food into their basic flavor components and pairing those components either by complimenting them or contrasting them.
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post #8 of 18
11/27/07 at 12:18pm
Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter - Beer Pairings
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post #9 of 18
11/29/07 at 3:31am
i agree. BUT, the public adores it! i can appreciate an 'overloaded' hopped beer (our imperial IPA is liquid heaven), but this summer when i wanted to make a beer batter, i almost off-sighted the beer. (instead i half beered, half 7-uped instead.

but i see that hoppy-ness in california, colorado, and NY too in some IPA's.

i'm interested in the words that the brewmasters that you have talked to said, verbatim; for longetivities sake if nothing else.

i DO like beer hoppy, but like i said, it's hard to cook with...
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post #10 of 18
11/29/07 at 3:36am
If you look closely, you may find the place where I post the brewmaster interviews.

G.
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post #11 of 18
11/29/07 at 7:22am
I found this, check it out:

Pairing Beer With Food
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post #12 of 18
12/28/07 at 3:08pm
For many years, beer was a staple to serve with cheese and sliced/smoked meats. Proof of this is the traditional English "Ploughman's lunch". It wasn't until someone in marketing got the idea of pairing wine and cheese that it went mainstream. Beer is good food!
Just my opinion though....
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post #13 of 18
12/28/07 at 5:51pm
I pair beer with food.

"Gimme a pair of beers to go with this steak, woodja??"

Actually, I prefer beer to wines on a general basis, and prefer a particular type of beer, which tends to dictate which type of food I will order.

I like a good pilsner, such as Warsteiner, or Bittburger. Good with beef. Not bad with fish. Sort of washes the "fishy" taste out of your mouth. Pale ales might work, but I tend to stay with a Germanic style pils, if given the chance. Hence the beef...

Also like some amber ales, such as Fat Tire. Also good with beef.

Don't much care for stouts, as they tend to distract you from eating.

As will Trappist Monk's brews.

And Bunghoser/Shlitzy/Koores won't even qualify as beer...

I could go on, but I think there's a beverage in the fridge calling my name... :)
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post #14 of 18
12/29/07 at 12:50pm
This was a recent topic. You may want to check out this thread: http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/pairi...food-beer.html
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post #15 of 18
1/5/08 at 4:12pm
I agree, although stouts can work with an extremely heavy meal.
As far as trappist beers goes, I haven't tried all, but I have noticed that for instance Orval works very well with sweet things, including chocolate, actually.
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post #16 of 18
1/6/08 at 8:36pm
I still remember sitting at a rester aunt at the marina in Cabo San Lucas eating a spicy shrimp ceviche and drinking a Pacifico beer thinking that this is what heaven must feel like.

A good video podcast to check into is basic brewing. It is a homebrew podcast but one of the guys that helps is a chef and builds a dish around the beer they brew. I love it!
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post #17 of 18
1/11/08 at 1:01pm
i found this special menu we did about a year ago for a beer and cheese pairing. here it is:

ESB with Provolone Piccante (pee-KAHNT)
piquant, sharp & tangy, savory, hearty
pasteurized cow’s milk
Italy

Scotch Ale with Beaufort (bo-FORE)
Herve Mons, smooth & full flavored, rich nutty sweetness
raw cow’s milk
France

IPA with Fleur d’ Aunis (FLUR-duh-NEE)
grassy & sweet, full finish & aroma, yummy, crystalline, washed rind
pasteurized cow’s milk
France (from Poitou region)

Imperial Oatmeal Stout with Saint Agur (sant-ah-GURR)
creamy, spreadable blue, great with honey
pasteurized cow’s milk
France


the last two in the list are my favorites.
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post #18 of 18
1/11/08 at 2:47pm
In Italy people don't often drink beer with meals, except with pizza. I had an Italian beer that was made with that in mind, and it was a really good combination! I wish I could remember the brand . . .
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