Our Beer Philosophy

 

Match strength with strength.

 

It is simply common sense that delicate dishes work best with delicate beers, and it is equally true that strongly flavored foods demand assertive beers. Intensity of flavor may involve many aspects: alcoholic strength, malt character, hop bitterness, sweetness, richness, roastiness and so on.


 

Find harmonies.

 

Combinations often work best when they share some common flavor or aroma elements. The nutty flavor of English-style brown ale and a handmade cheddar cheese; the deep, roasted flavors of an imperial stout and chocolate truffles, and the rich, caramel flavors of an Oktoberfest lager and roasted pork are all examples of this.



Consider sweetness, bitterness, carbonation, heat (spice) and richness.

 

This may seem a little complicated, but it really is quite straightforward. Specific characteristics of food and beer interact with each other in predictable ways. Taking advantage of these interactions ensures that the food and beer will balance each other, each giving you a desire for a taste of the other.



Blonde Ale, American Wheat, or Lightly Hopped Lagers

 

Since these beers lack both maltiness and hoppiness, they work best as thirst-quenchers. Try them with super-hot food, such as blackened redfish. Once your tongue has been assaulted with hot spices, it will no longer be able to appreciate an intricately flavored beer, anyway.



Amber Ale

 

A good all-around beer for any food that isn't sweet -- something sweet will detract from the maltiness in the beer. It complements sandwiches, hearty soups and pizzas and is also a good thirst-quencher for barbecue or Mexican food.



English or American Brown Ale

 

Hamburgers and sausages are hearty enough for either kind of ale. The English brown may match nicely with smoked fish, while game dishes can stand up to the hoppiness of the American brown.

Weiss bier or Dunkelweiss

You want to be able to enjoy the flavors of the yeast, so stick with delicate foods, such as a delicate soup or pasta or light cheeses. These beers also work well with lightly flavored vegetarian dishes, such as grilled vegetables, or light chicken dishes.



Pale Ale, IPA, ESB, and German Pilsners

 

While hops can kill your taste buds when paired with many foods, they do make for some particularly good matches -- fried seafood, for example, because hoppiness cuts through grease, or anything with vinegar as a main ingredient. They also complement smoked, boiled, steamed or broiled seafood. And they can enhance the spiciness of highly spiced cuisine. The fruitier pale ales also will complement lamb, beef and game, or try them with liver pâté



Cream or sweet stout, imperial stout


These are made for chocolate, and imperial stout pairs especially well with dark chocolate. Also try chocolate-and-fruit desserts, such as stout cheesecake with raspberry sauce, or something with caramel or pecans.



Porter, Dry or Oatmeal Stout

 

Think hearty foods -- meat dishes with gravy, barbecue, shepherd's pie, stew. Oysters are also ideal. Both these beers and the brown ales will stand up to stronger cheeses such as sharp cheddar and blue.



Vienna lager/Oktoberfest/Mäarzen, dark lager, bock

 

Like amber ale, these are good all-around food beers, and they're not as filling as ales. The lagers will cut some of the heaviness in sauce-based meat dishes - chicken paprikash, goulash or pork rouladen, for example - and will stand up to their strong flavors. The perfect beers to serve with pretzels and mustard. Sweeter bocks, such as doppelbocks, can complement heartier, spicier desserts, such as pumpkin pie or spice cake.



Fruit beers, lambics

 

Sweeter fruit beers and fruit lambics can be paired with light fruit desserts, such as soufflés or chiffon cake, but sour ones will probably overwhelm fruit flavors. Some people like to drink lambics with dark chocolate. Entrees that are prepared with fruit - i.e., raspberry-glazed duck breast - can pair nicely with fruit beers. Consider enjoying these alone at the end of the meal.



Old ale, barley wine

 

Most foods don't stand up to these stronger beers, and you'll probably lose the maltiness in the beer as well. Try a really strong cheese or a piece of super-dark chocolate, or serve them alone or with a cigar.