While pairing food and wine is a common practice, the proper beer pairing can also compliment and bring out the flavors of food. Pairing beer and food is not an exact science, but there are some general guidelines that can help to enhance the enjoyment of both the beer and your meal.
The first thing to consider when pairing a frosty brew with your dinner is that neither the beer nor the food should upstage the other. Instead, attempt to create a harmony between the two, with each complimenting the other’s flavors, textures and heartiness.
Similar to the red wine with red meat and white wine with fish and chicken school of thought, many prefer to pair dark, heavier beers with meats and lighter beers with fish, chicken and salads. While this doesn’t hold true in all occasions, it’s a good start to your first foray into pairing beer and food.
Another consideration is to cut food’s flavor with an appropriately balanced beer; for example, the acidity of a highly hopped ales cuts through the richness of fattier foods like cheese or fried fish, whereas sweeter, malty beers can cut through the spiciness of Asian or Mexican dishes.
Selecting beers and foods based on regional associations is also generally a good way to ensure a proper pairing. For instance, Mexican beers are often light and acidic, which naturally pairs well with spicy Mexican food, while Japanese lagers are a good compliment to sushi. Conveniently, most ethnic restaurants typically offer several traditional beers to make your pairings easy.
These general guidelines will hopefully get you thinking the next time you’re out to dinner, but when it’s all said and done, beer and food are to be savored and enjoyed, whether together or separate. So if it tastes good to you, go for it.
