Beer Talk by Art of the Table
September 2, 2010
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So often we hear about wine pairing with food, and not so much about beer. So often the latter is much more convenient and unbiasedly truly better.
Well crafted beer has incredible food pairing options and can be far more diverse than wine. The golden rules of food pairing are immediately thrown out the window and the options become endless.
Now, don't get me wrong...there isn't much in the world more sublime than the perfect wine and food pairing (you know, when the food enhances the wine and the wine does the same for the food). But with beer, you have the ability to session it out much longer and more of a budget to experiment with and create interesting pairings.
Beer can also be used in cooking applications in place of wine. Try making a pale ale vinaigrette over a mixed greens salad with Serrano ham and red onion...it'll blow your mind.
Today, we want to start with cheese. Simple pairing ideas for beer and cheese can account for not so simple flavor combinations. We have a passion for both beer and cheese here at Art of the Table, if you didn't already know that. We are hoping you will give the two a try together soon as well.
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Strong and Stronger
| | With wine, we so often want to find balance.
Strong cheese with sweeter dessert wines,
creamy cheese with acidic wines to balance the palate.
All that. But the beer...
Beer has carbonation, basically nature's way of power washing the inside of your mouth. A creamy, powerful blue cheese like Fourme d'Ambert is best paired against an American style stout or...
...though I said stout, today we are going to pair the Fourme d'Ambert with Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron. It's technically a brown ale, but it's got a lot of mojo. High in alcohol with huge malt and hops flavors contribute to the roasted and mildly over ripened fruit overtones this beer displays. A very aromatic and woodsy beer, Palo Santo Marron has an almost rosewood quality to it that is shockingly great.
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Creamy Goat and Wheat
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| This one is easy and crazy open to options. Basic chevre on crackers with a German Hefeweizen is a true delight. You can keep it local and go with Dancing Goat Creamery and the North Peak Majestic wheat ale if you like.
To put it into a cooking application...we can have a little more adventure. Lightly smoked salmon with a citrus glaze smeared with Cyprus Grove chevre with crushed black and green peppercorns paired with Short's Nicie Spicie is a terrific pair.
The citrusy overtones of many wheat beers make food pairing very easy, especially for grilled fare and seafood. Cana de Cabra is also one of my favorite cheeses with a wheat ale. Try to find a wheat with a little more hops added and it will stand up very well.
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Hops and Spice...true story
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| My dad has a habit of convincing people his way is the right way. This time, he was right. He's been a mug club member up at Short's for a little while now, and Huma Lupa Licious is his "nectar of the gods'' as he calls it.
One day, we were sitting at the bar having a pint or two, and we got hungry. It happens to us beer drinkers from time to time. We ordered a plate of hummus and started to get a little creative with it. All of a sudden, there were kalamata olives, roasted garlic, red onion and banana peppers at our disposal (you can for go the banana peppers if you like, they are kind of a palate killer, but I like them). The combination was simple and wonderful. It lacked a few things. So, we asked for some feta cheese. It helped a lot. Then we asked for some Cayenne pepper. Whoa mama! That was the trick. It made the beer better, and the beer made the food better. It was what we were looking for. If you are up by Short's, order the Fancy Pants...it's on the menu now.
As for beer and cheese though, IPAs are diverse as well. An Imperial IPA will stand next to any bleu I've come across and do it justice. Bell's Hopslam! in particular comes to mind with it's honey infusion. So good with strong, moldy cheese.
On a more delicate note, an English style IPA will pair nicely with quality cheddar or even a nice gouda. Give the Grassfields organic raw milk gouda a try with the Brooklyn East India Pale Ale.
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It's All Good! |
| Pairing. It's all a matter of opinion and experimenting for yourself is the most fun you can have with pairings. The above mentioned pairings are ideas, starting points if you will. Lagers, pilsners, brown ales, porters, Belgian styles, reds...they all have amazing pairing qualities. We just don't have the space to write about all of them this week. We wouldn't want you to get bored you know.
Yes, beer is good with pizza, but it's not the only pairing option you have. Break out of the box and get a good variety of beers the next time you host a swanky dinner. It'll be a whole load of fun.
And please feel free to ask us to help with pairings - we think that's the fun part of our job!
Cheers.
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