Food Pairing With Craft Beer

We are so used to pairing the perfect wine with our favourite food, whether it be something spicy or sweet, with red wines pairing best with flavoured meat such as red meats, and white wines pairing best with light-intensity meats such as chicken or fish. Rosé wine on the other hand, are ideal for many food types such as Salmon, vegetable skewers, duck, pink lamb etc.

However, did you know that there is another alcoholic beverage that is making the rounds at dinner tables, which has become the ideal drink to pair with any kind of food, but is far less costly than wine? Indeed, there is, and this fabulous new and extremely flavourful beverage is called Craft Beer.

Craft beer in London is produced by small, independent breweries, who’s main goal is to produce a beer that is of the highest quality and standard, resulting in an extremely flavourful and aromatic beer experience, even though these breweries only produce a limited quantity of it every year. This new fan base for artisan Craft Beer in London has increased in the last few years, and become very popular among people. One reason it has become such a favoured drink is that it is great for pairing with any kind of food, as Craft Beer comes in a variety of flavours and types, from bitters to much sweeter and lighter brews. So, there is a Craft Beer out there that goes with any kind of food you can think of. Above all, it is far cheaper than a bottle of wine, even though Craft Beer can be a lot more expensive than the regular mass-produced beer that you find in the market, owing to their high ingredient costs.

In order to pair the perfect combination of food and beer, they must:

• Match in strength – Delicate dishes go better with delicately flavoured beer, while much richer food is best with stronger flavours of beer.
• Harmony – Food and beer combinations are best when there is a common flavour or aroma harmony, such as Chocolate and the roasted flavours of imperial stout.
• Qualities – Qualities such as bitterness, richness, sweetness and spiciness in both the food and the beverage should interact with other, for it to pair well and combine and balance well with each other.

So, what types of food are ideal with the different types of Craft Beer available? Here are a few suggestions.

• Belgian Beer – A heady and robust flavour of beer such as Belgian beer is best combined with cheeses such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola, even though these beers can have up to 10% alcohol volume, which can certainly give you a kick.
• German Wheat Beer – Smoked or cured meats go best with German Wheat Beer, and are able to enhance the flavours of both the meat and the beer.
• Porter – Porter, also called Oyster Stout is the ideal beverage to pair with, well, oysters of course! It calls for an interesting flavour combination because traditionally oysters are shucked into the brewing stage when making Porters.
• Fruit Beer – Fruit beer goes well with sweets, and certain acidic flavours of raspberry or strawberry beer are the ideal drink to pair with chocolates as the flavours blend and combine well.
• IPA’s – A good quality IPA is best paired with a nice hot curry, where the hops in the beer is able to bring out the curry’s more subtle notes.
• Pilsner – A crisp, clean beer like a Pilsner is ideal for pairing with delicate Sushi or Sashimi.
• Berliner Weiss or London Sour – These beers are best combined with some nice salty fries or chips, as they complement each other’s flavours well.
• American Pale Ale – This beer is a hoppier and stronger version of an IPA, and goes well with Italian-American food such as Pizza that has very rich and complex toppings and sauces.
• Lager – The caramel and malt aromas of certain lagers are best combined with a rich, complex piece of meat, such as a fine steak.
• Saison – This refined and elegant type of Craft Beer is best when combined with delicate vegan dishes.
• Bitter Ale – What is a Sunday roast without a bitter ale, which compliments any kind of roast, whether it be chicken, beef or pork.

As you can see, similar to wines there is a lot of food that you can pair with the many varieties of Craft Beer available around the world, which is one of the reasons for it to become so popular among beer lovers. So, it is not only the wine drinkers of the world who can enjoy a good combination of food and drink now, but beer enthusiasts as well. The difference with artisan beers such as Craft Beer in London, and regular mass-produced beers, is that craft beer is much more flavourful and aromatic, because of the exotic ingredients used to make it, such as the best grains and hops, and also the special additions of fruits, spices and herbs according to each brewer’s specific recipe.

So, if you are looking for something to pair your favourite food with, search for Craft Beer near me on your smart device and get the best Craft Beer delivered right to your door, hassle free and conveniently.