ADVERTISEMENT

An Ode To Craft Beer and Food Pairing On Lovers' Day

The marriage of food and beer is a very happy one.

Feb 14, 2014 - 5 min read

An Ode To Craft Beer and Food Pairing On Lovers' Day Primary Image

Few things are more magical than a spot-on food and beer pairing— a crisp IPA that cuts the fat of a rich meal, a light Belgian-style with a seafood dish, a semi-sweet stout enhanced with dark chocolate. Brewers and chefs are exploring uncharted territory when it comes to pairings, giving food and beer lovers a whole new realm to explore.

We asked chefs, brewers, and other industry types why the marriage of food and beer is such a happy one. Here’s what they had to say.

"We support flavor marriage. It's time for everyone to be able to pair food with the incredible range of flavors in beer, without shame or fear of reprisal. Really though, wine just doesn't have caramelized flavors or roasted notes to pick up on— you can even bust out your umami here—and those are some of the most important food flavors. Beer offers that in spades thanks to the huge diversity of ingredients that brewers can choose from. Poor wine, hobbling around all alone on that one little grape." — Dave Thibodeau, president and co-founder at Ska Brewing in Durango, Colorado

"When I think about the perfect single bite of food: salt, acid, fat, and texture. Then the perfect sip of beer: hops, yeast, earthy, quenching. The two comparisons are near identical yet slightly different in the most complimentary ways. A true amalgamation of kindred spirits." — Andrew H. Garrett, owner and executive chef at Northwest Elixirs in Portland, Oregon

ADVERTISEMENT

"Craft beer and food is such a beautiful marriage for the simple reason that anyone who searches out and is willing to pay slightly more for a better flavored beer is going to want an equally better meal. Quality in one pursuit is mirrored by the other." — Nate Soroko, chef at Toronado in San Diego, California

"My marriage with beer has more to do with using it as a pivotal ingredient in our cooking -- using a strong hearty beer in stews and our sirloin dishes and a lighter ale for things like our pork carnitas. It adds a depth of richness in flavor, and it brings out the heat and complexities of other ingredients." — Serena Romeo, chef at Comida in Longmont, Colorado

"Until the later portion of the 19th century, just before prohibition, beer was looked at as a food source -- nutritious, full of calories, vitamins, and minerals -- not to mention a potable source of water. To me, great beer and great food go hand in hand. Beer is one of the most, if not the most, complex beverages on the planet. It can range from sweet to bitter, to floral to sour, and everything in between. This amazing complexity makes beer the perfect pairing with exceptional food." — Ian Clark, beer chef and founder at BRU handbuilt ales & eats in Boulder, Colorado.

"Vegan and vegetarian dishes are incredibly well suited for pairing with beer due to their broad spectrum of flavors and textures. And there is no right answer; just experiment and enjoy!" — Andrea McGinty, owner of Native Foods Café

"The marriage of beer and food is a happy one indeed. You have the complement of so many aromatics including toasted, roasted, and smoked essence from the malt; herbal notes of hops including pine, woodsy, tropical, and citrus; and the fruity aromatics of esters including apricots, peaches, red fruits, and more that each finds harmony with so many similar flavors in food. On top of that you have the contrast of taste elements including sweet, sour, bitter, carbonation, and alcohol that either plays up or calms down similar elements in food. When done right 1 (beer) + 1 (food element) = 5!" — Julia Herz, craft beer program director at the Brewers Association

ARTICLES FOR YOU