With wine, everything is clear: red is served with meat, white – with fish and chicken. There are also a few general rules that apply to beer that can tell you which direction to look for.
First, keep in mind that ale goes well with meat and a light lager goes with fish and chicken. Secondly, pay attention to how noticeable the presence of hops is in the beer, that is, to the bitterness of the taste. Here you can draw an analogy with the acidity in wine: the stronger the bitterness, the brighter the taste of the dish should be. Finally, if you are hosting a special beer dinner, remember to start with lighter beverages and end with heavier ones.
In pale and golden ales, non-bitter lagers malt or hop flavors are not particularly pronounced, and they are excellent thirst quenchers. Spicy, spicy and salty foods are best perceived when accompanied by them. If you cook hot Mexican or Indian dishes, then you simply cannot do without a light lager: only it is able to properly refresh the taste buds, the wine will be completely lost, and water will not give the desired effect. A light lager is good with both exotic Thai food and Japanese sushi. True, for the combination to be perfect, it is worth looking for drinks brewed in these countries.
White or wheat beer with an original tasteYeast-rich is a gentle enough drink to be matched with calm flavors such as low-fat soups, light pasta and mild cheeses, and also goes well with grilled vegetables and chicken. It can be offered to desserts with citrus fruits – they will emphasize similar shades in beer.
Amber, or amber ale, – a great option for a variety of dishes. The main thing is that they are not sweet – sugar interrupts the taste of malt. Amber ale is served with sandwiches, rich soups, pizza; it perfectly complements tex-mex dishes or spicy barbecues.
Like amber, Viennese lager, German martzen and bock can be called universalnor are they as high in calories as ales. These lagers are the perfect accompaniment to lavish meat dishes such as chicken paprikash, goulash or braised pork. The Germans have learned to create perfect combinations of pork sausages and beer. Here the principle of matching the sweetish malt taste of beer and fatty, but not heavy with spices, pork is perfectly revealed.
The main feature of bitters, German and Czech beer “Pils” – this is a bright hop bitterness, thanks to which they serve as an excellent aperitif. When choosing gastronomic pairs for these drinks, you need to be careful, as they can “kill” the taste of the dishes. But the right combinations leave an unforgettable experience, as in the case of fried seafood: bitterness, like a sharp knife, passes through the taste of fatty foods. These beers also excel at tricky dishes that contain vinegar. Bitters and pilsners perfectly complement smoked, boiled, stewed seafood and emphasize spices in spicy dishes. In England, the combination of bitters with spicy cheddar cheese and even blue stilton has already become a classic.
English and American brown ale goes well with hamburgers and sausages, as well as thick mushroom gravy for chicken or turkey. English ale is good with smoked fish, and more bitter American ale is good for game dishes.
Thick dry stouts and porters Served primarily with heavy, generous dishes: meat with sauce and grilled, stews and meat casseroles. An Irish stout and oyster is widely recognized as the perfect combination: burnt barley sets off the salty taste of seafood. These drinks are also appropriate to offer with spicy cheeses.
To fruit beer, Belgian lambic they select snacks with a fruit component, like duck breast with raspberry sauce, as well as light fruit soufflés.
Sweet stouts intended for chocolate. A particularly good pairing is imperial stouts and dark chocolate. Also worth trying are chocolate desserts with fruit, cheesecake with raspberry sauce or desserts with caramel and nuts.
Strong beereg “barley wine” is undoubtedly the best digestif. It can be served with very spicy cheese, dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. Or use it as an alternative to cognac.