Beer Gastromony
In many cities, beer dinners have become remarkably popular in recent years. It’s a breeze to organize your own beer dinner at a local pub or restaurant that offers top-notch beer and food. Pay a visit to the pub in advance to take a gander at the menus. Choose four to five courses for your group, pair each with a beer that’s currently on draft and share your plans with the manager, who can alert the kitchen and reserve space for your group. On the evening of your beer dinner, be sure the server knows to bring out each course and beer at the same time and separate each course with an appropriate amount of time to allow the group to savor and consider each pairing.
Pairing craft beer with food isn’t rocket science. Common sense wine guidelines also tend to be analogous for beer―red meat goes well with American amber ales, IPAs and English bitters; whereas delicate fish and chicken dishes pair better with the likes of Bohemian pilsners, golden ales and Belgian-style wit beers. But when pairing craft beer with food, strict rules simply do not exist―most of the fun comes with experimentation. Try malty Vienna-style lagers, bocks and brown ales with sweet, earthy Mexican dishes and pizza; sip a peppery Belgian-style saison or tripel alongside spicy Thai or Indian cuisine; and savor a clove-like hefeweizen next to a refreshing, acidic summer salad. Beer and cheese form an ideal harmony, so be sure to take advantage of cheese platters for your group meal.
Don’t skip dessert! Select a porter or stout to accompany custards, fruit-topped cheesecake, ice cream or chocolate. The best fruit beers go well with pastries, and nothing tastes better with rich chocolate cake than a Belgian strong dark ale or toffee-ish English-style barley wine.
Why let wine snobs have all the fun with their tastings, gatherings, evaluations and spitting? Craft beer can become a dynamic, gratifying and evolving part of one’s social scene. It can strengthen bonds between friends and groups and provide a rallying point to forge new relationships.
Excellent article. Beer dinners have quickly become one of my favorite events. I really like the idea of doing tapas and small bites with beer pairings.