I’ve done several beer dinners, pairing different beers with entrees, salads, soups, appetizers and desserts. A general rule of thumb is that you should MATCH INTENSITIES. Translated, this means don’t pair your Big Honkin’ Stout with a tossed salad, or the cream ale with beef brisket. The beer and food should compliment each other in a sense that one doesn’t overpower the other. Begin with the lightest intensity beer and food, then graduate to more intense flavors so as to avoid palate fatigue and the the subtle nuances you desire guests to enjoy won’t be missed. Start with the cream ale, move toward the irish ale, the ipa, then close with the stout.
You want the pairings to bring out the BEST of what you are trying to showcase, your beer! There are 4 “C’s” of beer and food pairings.
Compliment: this one is easy; the caramel malty flavors of the Irish Red will pair nicely with a comfort-food style soup or red meat dish; the caramelization of the meat during cooking pairs nicely with the maltiness of the beer. An obvious one is to pair the stout with a chocolate lava cake or similar chocolate dessert; the chocolate and roast flavors of each compliment one another.
Cleanse: there is no other better partner to artisan cheese than beer! Period. The cleansing action of the C02 in beer will whisk away the fats and oils and leave the palate clean and able to taste another bite of cheese as if it were the first taste; wine cannot do this. Try a hardy, aged cheddar appetizer with an IPA, the hops, alcohol, and C02 will cleanse the palate and make this hoppy beer approachable for the uninitiated.
Contrast: this one takes some trial and error. Basically, you are going to contrast sweet to bitter for example; a classic contrasting pairing is an Imperial IPA to carrot cake. Unless you prepare something ahead of time and make sure you can nail a contrasting pairing, stick with complimentary and cleansing pairing approaches.
Create: you can create new flavors by a well thought-out pairing. The flavors begin by complimenting one another then create something new altogether; the cream ale paired with a lighter intensity appetizer will not only cleanse the palate but conjure up new flavors and perhaps memories of something entirely different. A light cheese and fruit dish for starters will work, as will the lighter appearance of the cream ale to avoid the ladies from saying, “Ewww, dark beer!”
Beer is more forgiving than wine, it’s less acidic, and has a far wider range of ingredients and styles to choose from. Where you can’t find a wine to pair with a particular dish, there is ALWAYS a beer that will! A note for your future pairings: Belgian ales are a dream to pair with food, particularly artisan cheeses. As Randy Mosher says, when in doubt, go Belgian!
Have fun!!
