BEER & FOOD MATCHINGS

Initially, throughout history, beer was treated not so much as a beverage but as a food in itself.

Over the centuries international cuisine has developed to such heights of abundance and variety that beer, like wine, plays an accompanying role to meals.

Let's look at lagers first. Lagers are very flexible in meal matching because they generally tend to be lighter-style beers (bocks and the like excluded of course).

They enhance lighter meals such as seafood, chicken, salads, casseroles and pastas, yet when paired with heavier meals they rarely clash and simply act as a plate-side beverage.

Ales, on the other hand show more body and malty sweetness thus better complementing foods that are roasted, broiled or B.B.Q. Even chicken or turkey will benefit from light ales if such poultry is roasted.

The heavier ales, rich in malt, pair best with red meats and game. If they are extremely dark and heavy they are best enjoyed on their own after a meal as dessert. Basically, the greater the intensity of cooking the food undergoes, the heavier the beer that can be served with it.

Conversely, the lighter the cooking, the lighter the beer. Colour is often a good indiction of the degree of roasting the malted barley has undergone. The more roasted the malt, the more roasted the food is a good rule of thumb. Lagers rich in heavily roasted malted barley (such as Bock) can take on roasted venison or grilled steak as well as dark ales can.

That covers eating with beer, but what about cooking with beer!

Well, it is actually very easy. Beer enhances the flavour of pancakes, waffles, crepes, croquettes and especially batter mixes (fish, tempura, veggies, onion rings, etc.) and increases batter fluffiness through its own bubbly carbonation.

One simply replaces the part of the recipe calling for milk or water with beer. The same holds true for recipes where beef or chicken broth is used - just replace the broth with a favourite brand.

The use of beer in cooking is therefore especially useful to anyone concerned wtih animal fat in their diets, and the heat of cooking boils away the alcohol. Only the flavour of the beer is retained in the food.

With over 350 brands to choose from, experiment and enjoy!