Food pairings part 1

When most people think of pairing a beverage with food they think of wine: a chardonnay or merlot goes well with chicken, and a cabernet sauvignon can compliment beef dishes. This principle can be applied to beer as well. A good rule of thumb to start with for pairing beer with food is to pair heavy food with heavy beer and light food with a lighter beer. Think of ales as red wine and lagers as white wine if that helps. If you do cook with beer, just like wine, I would serve the same beer as used in the recipe, but it isn't uncommon to choose a beer with a significant contrast so that you appreciate the taste of the one used in the dish. This will be the first installment of an ongoing series focusing on different types of beer and what is a good food pairing.

Today I will briefly discuss wheat beers. Wheats get their name because they are  brewed with a large proportion of wheat. Wheat beers often also contain a significant proportion of malted barley.  The flavor of wheat beers varies considerably, depending upon the specific style. The main varieties are weissbier, witbier, and sour. One of the most well known wheats in America is a  witbier in called Blue Moon, which sadly is distributed by the Coors brewing company. With these beers, it is best to stick with lighter more subtle fare like salad or fish. These can also go well with dessert. A  Belgian white with an orange dessert is a great idea because citrus style desserts bring out the  spice from these beers. That’s all for now; Check back later for more updates on food pairings.

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