Food, Beer & Entertaining

How to select the right beer for a meal

Beer is a wonderful companion to food. Much like wine, it can be used to complement or contrast the taste and textures of a meal.  To find complementary combinations, pay close attention to the effect each has on the other. For example, bitterness and intensity in beer can overwhelm delicate flavours, but it can also balance out rich or creamy food, such as desserts.

Good guidelines for pairing beer with food include:

Match strength with strength
Delicate dishes work best with delicate beer, and strongly flavoured foods demand assertive beer. Intensity of flavour in beer includes carbonation, roastiness, sweetness, smoke and alcohol. In food, sweetness, cooking methods, spicing and fat are factors.

Find harmonies
Pair combinations that have similar flavour or aroma elements. Some examples include the nutty flavor of an English-style brown ale with cheddar cheese, or roasted flavours of Imperial Stout with chocolate truffles. It’s also important to consider both the food ingredients and the method of preparation.

Consider the contrast elements
Your food and beer choices can also contrast in certain ways that balance each other out.  For example, pair a maltier beer with spicy food to counter the hotness.

Other suggestions include pairing beer and food from the same country, or selecting based on seasonality: lighter in summer; heavier in the winter. Consider lighter beer with appetizers. There is a beer suited for every appetizer, main dish and dessert.

Enjoy experimenting and record it in your very own My World of Beer Passport.