I have fond memories as a kid waking up each Easter Sunday morning to go on an egg hunt, collecting little colourful eggs and other treats hidden all over my house and sometimes yard. I’ve since grown up and had a family of my own, so I have enjoyed passing on the tradition to the next generation of little ones. While it’s certainly fun to recreate those fond memories in the younger generation, I sometimes long for those magical moments as a kid where something special happened that you didn’t quite understand how it worked, but it was so cool you didn’t care to find out. That being said, what if I told you it was possible to recreate a little bit of that Easter magic for yourself by hunting for new craft beers and pairing them with some classic Easter Treats to give a new perspective on some old favourites for us grown-ups.

Pairing #1 – Cadbury Cream Eggs and Milk Stout

Cadbury Cream Eggs were always the highlight of my Easter Egg hunt when I was young, as finding one of those was like finding a pure golden egg. There’s something special about that creamy custard like center surrounded by decent quality chocolate all perfectly proportioned in an egg shape that tastes amazing and unique. Usually limited to 3-5 per egg hunt, these suckers were cat’s meow and are still one of my favourite treats to this day. I could barely contain my excitement when it was about time to pair them with a craft beer and I was up for the challenge since it’s a tough one to find a good beer for.

High sugar candies like cream eggs aren’t always the best companions for beer pairings, where richer foods tend to do better, so I had to think hard to find something that would work here. Low and behold, I eventually chose an Espresso Milk Stout made by British Columbia brewers Fuggles & Warlock. This particular beer has quite a few coffee notes in it, with a bit cherry wood, a smooth creamy texture and a chocolate milk flavour that comes from the intentional addition of lactose in the brewing process. When combined, the custardy middle of the cream egg got insanely buttery, creamy and generally richer while the chocolate outside was even more pronounced. It was kind of like the beer deconstructed the cream egg into parts and then at the end reconstructed them all back together as a sum of all the good parts. This was heavenly, like really, really good! Milk stouts are hard to find, you should track one down and give this a shot or as an alternate you could try a Cream Ale to get a similar effect.

Pairing #2 – Carrot Cake and a Fruity Wheat Beer

Simply by association, carrot cake makes a great Easter themed cake or cupcake to be served after a meal or as a mid day treat on Easter Weekend. Typically topped with a dollop of cream cheese icing, this fairly moist cake is often filled with nuts, raisins, pineapple and tastes a little grainy with a good spice, tart and sweet combination. This can be a tough dessert to pair with since it has a lot of things going on a once so you’ll want something that plays along with the cake without overpowering any of the flavours.

To match up with carrot cake, I chose a St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale which is made by McAuslan Brewing from Montreal, Quebec. This beer has a nice fruity apricot tart character to it, a wheat texture, some cereal grain malts and a fairly clean finish as it is a filtered wheat beer. I found that when served together, the beer brought out more of the tartness in the cream cheese icing of my carrot cake cupcake, highlighted some of the carrot sweetness and cut into the creamy frosting while increasing the apricot in the beer and the grainy texture on both of them. This worked pretty well, as both foods were enjoyable together and helped each other out quite nicely, allowing an appreciation for each of their unique flavours and enhancing some of the more prominent ones. Other beer styles to try include a spicy Saison, or a Winter Ale that has some winter spices in it.

Pairing #3 – Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs and a Chocolate Beer

Second only to cream eggs, peanut butter filled eggs were also a big favourite of mine as kid and still to this day I am anle to scarf them down with ease. Reese’s peanut butter cups are easily available year round and peanut butter and chocolate go together so ridiculously well, but what makes these special is that they have a much better chocolate to peanut butter ratio in Easter Egg form than they do as peanut butter cups. They have just enough chocolate to round out the sweet salty peanut butter and are a good candidate for a beer pairing because of that.

Here I went with an Organic Triple Chocolate Stout made by Nelson Brewery in British Columbia, which is a beer that has a chocolate base, a bit smoke, some roasted coffee notes and bits of tar throughout. Paired with the peanut butter egg, this beer changed a lot and hid the chocolate notes while enhancing the coffee, the smoke, and it brought out some hidden cocoa nibs. For the treat, the peanut butter got richer, saltier, a little bit creamier and the chocolate shell played a bigger role in the overall chocolate and peanut butter mix. Another decent pairing, I find that pairing chocolate beers with other chocolate treats is an interesting way to explore the other malts in a beer of this style while enhancing the chocolate treat. It would also be interesting with a Porter or even an Amber ale if you aren’t sure about using a Chocolate Stout or simply can’t find one.

Pairing #4 – Hot Cross Buns and a Dunkel

Traditionally these religious buns were marked with a cross and eaten on Good Friday, however they are now available weeks or months before Easter at every bakery around the start of spring. They are so famous that they even have their own nursery rhyme song, which if you have ever played the recorder in grade school, well you know the exact song I am talking about. Admittedly, I hated these as a kid, however as I have gotten older and acquired a taste for malty fruity flavours I find myself liking them more and more. Since they still tend to be a bit festive, I thought they would be interesting to try with a malty fruity beer style like a Dunkel.

Mill Street Brewery in Ontario makes a Munich Dunkel beer called Dammerung (“twilight” in German), which is a dark lager style beer that is malt forward with raisin and toffee malts accompanied by over ripened fruit, chocolate and leathery overtones. When paired with a hot cross bun, the toffee and raisin notes complement the raisins and fruits in the bun quite well and work to enrich each other by bringing their flavours to the forefront. The wheat and grains in the bread come through nicely, highlighting some nutty grains and a sweet finish to both the bread and the beer. For alternate styles, any sort of fruit beer could work well or a crazy malt forward style like an Eisbock would be a big hit too.

Pairing #5 – White Chocolate Bunny and a White IPA

Typically white chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids and doesn’t contain any actual cocoa solids, thus not making it an actual chocolate – but that doesn’t matter because when made right it is quite delicious. Because of its make up though, this is one of the zanier pairings of the bunch, where it’s a bit risky to try and find something that will be a rewarding duo. I decided to try this with an Imperial White IPA and it was quite a unique experience!

Parallel 49 in British Columbia makes a winter White IPA called Toques of Hazzard that features two toque wearing, hockey stick toting dudes riding a Zamboni that resembles the General Lee car. The beer features some nice floral hop notes, some passion fruit, pine, lemon flavours with doughy bread malts to round it out which had a nice contrast effect on the buttery, cheesy white chocolate bunny. I found that the hop bitterness intensified pretty quickly into a pleasurable mix of bitter pine, grapefruit, lemon citrus and tangerine flavours while the white chocolate tasted more like malty cheese with a buttery aftertaste. As a pairing, this was one of those odd cases where it just kind of works on a different level and would make for a good way to impress party goers with your beer and food pairing skills. A Belgian blonde style ale might work well here, but you’d need to experiment a lot to get another one to work I think.

What about Easter Dinner?

There are many different styles of beers that would pair up nicely with the different courses of a typical Easter dinner, yet one of the challenges with drinking certain styles like IPA’s or strong Belgian Ale’s is that you are likely to overpower one or more parts of the meal. A solid go to style that I prefer is a Saison, which is usually a bit spicy and very effervescent so it  will cleanse your palate between bites and won’t fill you up or knock you down depending on your choice in beer. A simple Nut Brown is another good choice as it won’t clash with much, or even a Craft Lager is ok for a dinner drink since again this style of beer will not over power any one dish. At the end of the day though, I’d still lean towards a Saison as a safe, yet very flavourful bet to go with your meal.

Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast Of Saint Patrick as it was once known, was originally a religious celebration commemorating the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. The holiday is named after the most commonly acknowledged patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, on the day he was to have died back in the mid 400’s. It’s more recently and more commonly celebrated around the world as a cultural holiday, paying homage to Ireland by those of Irish heritage like myself and those who wish to join us in the celebration.

In Canada, its celebration can be traced back to the mid 1700’s as we have a deep Irish heritage within our early history that lives on proudly today. It’s a day of all things green, including the beer which is often coloured green and you’ll likely see more Guinness consumption on this single day than any other week of the year, at least by my estimates anyway. In this article, I have planned out an entire day’s worth of Irish inspired meals paired with beers – mostly stouts – that are worthy of a Feast that pays homage to Saint Patrick and of course to Ireland itself. I hope you get a chance to try some of them, or challenge yourself to try them all throughout the day or a weekend.

Pairing #1 – Traditional Irish Breakfast with a Canadian Made Dry Irish Stout

There are certainly lots of different ways to put together a traditional Irish breakfast, however there are a couple essentials you’ll needed in order make it stand out as Irish. The most important thing is to have some authentic Irish bacon, which is cured pork back meat that is very similar to Canadian back bacon. Secondly, you need to have at least one pudding, be it black or white, for this meal to be authentic enough. I was only able to obtain a black Irish pudding, which is a type blood sausage made with pork blood, oats, meat and spices. Other common parts of an authentic Irish breakfast include baked beans and brown toast, however I substituted some potato cakes in there and of course fried up some eggs to make a seriously hearty meal out of it.

For this pairing I poured a Cobblestone Stout on Nitrogen from Mill Street Brewery in Toronto, which is a 4.2% alcohol by volume smooth, creamy, and smoky stout that I like to refer to as upgraded Guinness. Because of the low alcohol volume, this sessionable beer makes for a good breakfast stout as it won’t knock you off your feet for the day. It also pairs nicely with the black pudding and bacon parts of the meal without overpowering the rest of the breakfast. I found the sweet tangy bacon was extra savory when paired with the beer as it highlighted the smoke and brought out the toasted oats in the black pudding. The beer got creamier and the smoky notes were enhanced, which complemented the meal perfectly while still allowing other flavours to stand out. As an alternate pairing, a Coffee Porter or even an Amber Lager would go well with this type of breakfast, look for a beer that won’t fill you up or knock you out.

Pairing #2 – Mid Morning Snack of an Irish Soda Bread “Blarney Scone” and an Imperial Coffee Stout

Traditionally, Irish soda bread is quick bread made with only the following four ingredients: flour, salt, buttermilk and baking soda, which is then formed into a round ball, scored with a cross and baked for about 45 minutes. It was traditionally a home baked bread that used soft wheat that could grow well in

Ireland, but didn’t respond very well to yeast as a leavening agent, hence the use of baking soda instead. For this pairing, I decided to pick up a hybrid soda bread aptly named “Blarney Scone” since it’s a soda bread made with raisins and caraway seeds more in the manner of a traditional scone, which I heated up and topped with authentic Kerrygold Irish butter.

To accompany this hybrid soda bread, I chose the best Imperial Coffee Stout in Canada called Péché Mortel which is produced by Dieu Du Ciel in Montreal, Quebec at a strength of 9.5% alcohol by volume. The intention was to mimic a coffee and scone pairing that is quite common here in Canadian coffee shops, but with some Irish flair. The beer offers huge coffee notes, lots of roasty espresso, toasted grains, with a creamy mouth feel and a sooty finish, while the scone was slightly dry with malty raisins, caraway seeds and a massive creamy butter flavour. Together, the beer highlighted the toffee flavours in the raisins and the herbal caraway seeds while the food brought out some black licorice notes in the beer that weren’t there before. The creamy butter uncovered some hidden chocolate flavours in the beer and some citrus components of the coffee infusion were made apparent as well, likely highlighted by the salt in the butter. Other beer styles to try here would be an English Bitter which has lots of toffee notes or an Alt Bier which usually has both toffee and caramel flavours.

Pairing #3 – Lunch Consisting of an Irish Beer Infused Meat Patsy and a Rye Pale Ale

Pasties are a form of pastry or battered meat patty common in Northern Ireland which comes in many different forms with a variety of fillings, generally consisting of meat and gravy. The ones I chose were made with beef and were infused with Irish Kilkenny and Guinness beers to make them extra scrumptious, made exclusively for a local UK import store called the Celtic Treasure Chest which is a plae I plan to visit more often.

To enhance the savory meat in the patsie, I chose a Rye Pale Ale called Fire in the Rye by Double Trouble Brewing in Guelph, Ontario which is a 6.1% alcohol by volume beer made with a combination of rye and barley malts. The beer has sweet caramel and toffee flavours, rye doughy bread malts and hints of pine and floral herbs, while the patsies were a buttery pastry heaven accompanied by flavorful meaty beefsteak. Put together, the toffee and rye malts in the beer took the meat in the pie to a whole new level of palatability, hitting that perfect sweet and savory balance quite nicely while the herbs and floral notes finished it off magnificently. In the beer, the rye and toffee were heightened while some honey slipped in and the caramels went off the charts. Some different styles that would pair well with a pastie include spring seasonal IPA’s which tend to have more biscuit malts or an Irish Red Ale which would pair up nicely with the meat.

Pairing #4 – Mid Afternoon Snack of a Beer and an Irish Porter Infused Cheddar

Beer and cheese make the simplest and best pairings as they both farmhouse foods that accent each other perfectly if you pair them right, without a lot of effort or preparation to put them together. They make such a good pairing that you can find beer infused cheeses quite easily now in most decent deli sections. This particular pairing features an Irish Cheddar that has been layered and infused with Guinness Porter and imported directly from Ireland into Canada.

As a great pairing for this amazing cheese, I chose an Oat Porter from Four Winds Brewing in British Columbia, from a growler I filled specifically for this article. The beer features some nice toasted oats, chocolate flavours and some smoke with lingering cocoa and coffee notes on the aftertaste. The cheese features an intensely sharp cheddar presence with some chocolate and earthy overtones and some smoke as well. Once these two got together, the beer mellows a bit with the exception of the smoke which intensifies into a meaty smoked bacon like flavour, while the cheese explodes into a sharp cheddar savory overload of goodness. It also gets meatier, maltier and creamier which is hard to believe, but true – I pleasantly swore out loud a few times when pairing these two with each other. You could try other beer varieties such as Amber Ale or an English Brown, but I recommend sticking with a porter or oatmeal stout.

Pairing #5 – Comfort Food Dinner of Irish Bangers and Mash with Potato Stout and Beer Gravy

No Irish food and beer pairing would be complete without some sort of potato based dish. In this case it’s bangers and mash, which is a common pub food that makes a heck of a simple yet tasty comfort food to enjoy at home on a cold night or out in a bar. For this recipe, I used traditional Irish Bangers, mashed potatoes and I replaced half of the liquid in the gravy recipe with beer to add even more flavour to the dish.

To go with this meal, the beer in this pairing is a 4.8% alcohol by volume Dry Irish Potato Stout called Shamrocker, made by British Columbia brewer Granville Island Brewery. It is made with a mixture of barley malt, specialty malts and of course potatoes in order to create a really dry acidic finish that is quite pleasing and unique. The beer features notes of dark roasted coffee, soot, potato and as previously mentioned it finishes very, very dry. For the bangers and mash I noted that it was a meaty, creamy potato and gravy mash up of awesomeness that was pretty darn good on its own. As far as the pairing goes, the mashed potatoes assumed a creamier texture while the caramelized edges of the sausage were more concentrated and flavourful than usual. The stout had heightened coffee and potato notes, while it added lots of smoky malts to the gravy which made the entire meal worthy of its reputation. To mix it up, you could try a Scotch Ale or a Robust Porter as an alternate pairing for this entre.

Pairing #6 – Stout Cupcakes and Irish Cream Beer Make An Awesome Dessert

Stouts make fantastic additions to chocolate cakes as the roasted malts and smoky flavours already pair very nicely with cocoa and there are lots of different recipes out there to try. Similarly, you can add Irish Cream to any icing recipe, replacing some or all of the liquid with the booze in order to give a boozy whisky kick to your cake or cupcakes, especially helpful if they are to be served to adults. I chose to complement these flavours with a special beer made in British Columbia that is infused with Irish Cream which I thought would make a perfect pairing for with some Irish Cream Iced Stout Cupcakes.

The chosen beer was a Chilliwack, British Columbia brewed 7.5% alcohol by volume Stout called Screaming Banshee which is made by Old Yale Brewing. This brewery won the 2014 Canadian Beer of the Year Award at the Canadian Brewing Awards with their Sasquatch Stout, and this special beer is basically that award winning stout with Irish Cream added for extra zing. It has a nice creamy flavour

with roasted grains, minor whiskey notes and profound chocolate highlights throughout, while the cupcakes also tasted like toasty chocolate with super butter creamy icing with a touch of booze. When paired with the cupcakes, the beer was almost like a milkshake or milk stout with a big creamy chocolate flavour and almost no roasted grains. For the cupcakes, the butter cream in the cupcake was simply outstanding and the Irish cream in both the beer and food stood out a more, giving a little extra kick to this dessert. Other beers to try here would be a Cream Ale or possibly a Barleywine.

I hope you have a wonderful Saint Patrick’s Day and enjoy many craft beers that are hopefully paired with some fantastic Irish Cuisine.

You’ve likely heard of pairing wine with chocolate, port with chocolate and of course there is no shortage of liquor infused chocolate treats on the market these days, however pairing chocolate and beer is one of those things that may seem a bit odd at first. Many craft beer enthusiasts however, know that chocolate is a plentiful tasting note in a variety of beer styles out there and that pairing chocolate and beer can be quite a natural and incredibly pleasurable thing to do. Now whether you are looking for a gift of chocolate and beer for your sweet heart or you want to satisfy your own sweet tooth please read through the following beer and chocolate pairings for some ideas on how to pair two of the most wonderful things on this earth being both chocolate and craft beer.

Pairing #1 – Belgian Dark Ales Deserve Dark Chocolate On the Side

The words Belgian Style are often added in front of beer, chocolate and waffles to denote an expected level of quality and unique flavours based on the reputation of so many high quality Belgian versions of each product. Odds are you’ve likely had a Belgian style beer at some point in your life and you’ve most certainly had Belgian chocolate, however have you ever tried putting them together to see what happens? To get you started I suggest a simple dark chocolate and Belgian strong ale pairing that is always are sure thing.

I picked up a Belgian Style beer called Abandoned Abbey by Big Rock Brewery in Calgary, Alberta to pair up with a 63% Organic Dark Chocolate heart from Vancouver based Denman Island Chocolate Company. The beer was full of dark stone fruit flavours like plums and cherries, with cloves, toffee and candy sugar on the finish, while the chocolate was simply a rich and very slightly creamy textured bitter dark chocolate that I like to let melt on my tongue in order to savor it further. When put together, the fruit in the beer is amplified noticeably, especially the plums whereas the rich cocoa mass in the chocolate heart was more profound and increasingly savory. Overall this was nice, just a nice example where chocolate and beer work together to highlight some of the best characteristics of each individual part of the pairing.

Pairing #2 – Coffee and Cookies Go Together Like Bread and Butter

Coffee shops always seem to have display cases full of treats like biscotti, cakes, muffins, loaves and of course lots of different cookies that would pair up nicely with the variety of specialty coffees they brew. Biscuit textures, nutty treats and the specific flavours in chocolate go together well with the earthy cocoa notes often found in coffee itself which is why a quality Café Mochas made with real chocolate tastes so darn good. In this particular union my goal was to recreate that delicious coffee and cookie combination, but of course using a coffee craft beer instead of the java.

I opened up a French Press Vanilla Stout from Double Trouble Brewing in Guelph, Ontario to pair with some heart shaped organic dark chocolate short bread cookies from a local bakery nearby. The beer was infused with real vanilla and had tasting notes of coffee, cream, strong vanilla with hints of chocolate malt. For the cookies, they were flaky and buttery with some nice dark cocoa coating on half of the cookie. When combined, the shortbreads were noticeably flakier in texture revealing much more pronounced butter notes in the cookies. The beer managed to kick up the earthy coffee flavours while unexpectedly hiding the vanilla almost in its entirety. This was quite good, for other pairings to try, mix up any coffee stout or porter with a biscuit or wafer cookie of your choosing.

Pairing #3 – This Peanut Butter Goes Stout to Your Heart

I love chocolate and peanut butter, it’s one of my favourite combinations in a candy bar, ice cream or basically any way in which they can be combine them together. As craft breweries are trying to experiment with seasonal offerings and attempting to differentiate themselves from each other, we are starting to see all kinds of creative takes on certain styles of beer. One of the more unique examples of this is the Peanut Butter Stout, which I have only had a few different versions of in the past year and always found to be an intriguing tasty beer. Naturally, it only made the most sense to try double down on even more chocolate and peanut butter to see if they complemented each other even further.

British Columbia brewer Dead Frog recently released a beer called Nutty Uncle which is a Peanut Butter Stout that I paired with a Purdy’s Chocolate Filled Heart. The beer it has a creamy mouth feel, with dark chocolate, espresso and of course peanut butter notes that kick in near the end of each sip. The Purdy’s chocolate heart had a smooth and creamy texture, loads of sweet peanut butter and some nice milk chocolate notes that finished a but bittersweet. Combined, this was particularly fascinating to me, since the first thing to go away was any sense of peanut butter in the beer, which was instead replaced with enhanced earthy coffee and cocoa notes. For the peanut butter filled chocolate heart, it tasted a bit saltier and significantly richer than it already was which was pretty spectacular since they are already top notch chocolates to begin with. For alternates try a nut brown ale and maybe some chocolate covered almonds for another variation on this intriguing combo.

Pairing #4 – Turn Up The Heat in The Beer Room

Chocolate and chili pepper combinations go back to the ancient Aztec civilization in the form of a hot dark chocolate like drink often referred to as Xocolatl (meaning bitter water), of which the word chocolate originally stemmed from – and thankfully chocolate itself was also introduced to the world. I’ve always found this dark chocolate and chili mixture to be stimulating as when it is done well it is quite pleasingly spicy and flavourful, highlighting the bitter cocoa and heating up the spices like an IPA and spicy food combo. My intention in pairing a chili spiced beer with chili spiced chocolate was to take that chili and chocolate combination to a whole new level and I wasn’t left disappointed!

I poured The Hobbit Smaug Stout by Central City Brewing into my stout glass and paired it with a Dagoba Xocolatl 74% Dark Chocolate and Chilies bar in order to really turn up heat in these two. The craft beer had notes of black licorice, dark coffee, caramel, cayenne, chili powder and dark chocolate while the Dagoba bar has loads of bitter dark chocolate, slightly branchy cocoa nibs and some pretty spicy chili peppers in it already. When joined , I found the beer got a creamier texture highlighting superior dark roast coffee and chocolate flavours while producing an intensified chili powder spiciness. The cocoa nibs in the chocolate bar got very branch and earthy, revealing lots of dry cocoa bitterness while the chili’s swelled up considerably . I’m talking nostril cleansing hot here, it coated my palate and then swiftly cleansed it up after each sip of beer. If you like spice, this was quite the ride and I recommend trying to look for other spice and craft beer combinations, or even try an IPA with a chili infused chocolate for what is likely to be an interesting experience.

Pairing #5 – Fruit, Salt, Chocolate Will Make Your Taste Buds Go Nuts

Salted chocolate in my opinion is just amazing in general, especially in very high quality organic fair trade chocolate bars as the salt really enhances the rich chocolate notes and oily cocoa mass, giving that sweet and salty combo that hits right where it counts. Even better, toss some organic nuts in there and you have a pretty interesting treat put together to enjoy as is. However, in the name of food and beer pairing experimentation, it is important to try and take these amazing combinations even further and to find a unique beer that can handle an already intense flavour amalgamation.

The beer I chose to pair with a Salted Almond Chocolate Bar by Theo Chocolates was called Winter Beard by Muskoka Brewery in Bracebridge, Ontario which is an annual Christmas release that was cellared for a year before hitting the market. This beer was incredibly balanced with cranberry tartness, nuts, rich cocoa blending together towards a dry cocoa powder finish while the chocolate was a rich, savory, salty, nutty delight of a delicacy. Put together, these came ever so close to overloading each other, thankfully walking that fine line perfectly by stressing the cranberry, coffee and earthy bitterness of the beer and adding even more savory saltiness and earthy nuttiness to the chocolate bar. Wow, what a great pairing! Look for any high quality salted chocolate and pair up with a beer style like a Dunkel in order to create a massive flavour fusion you won’t soon forget.

Pairing #6 – Just Put The Beer Right in The Chocolate OK!

Granville Island Brewery teamed up with a local chocolatier ‘Chocolate by Gaya’ to make 4 unique beer infused chocolate truffles which are each infused with a different beer meant to pair up with the truffle nicely. For each chocolate, the beer was reduced in order to intensify the flavours and mix into each truffle to get the right balance of beer, chocolate and other enhancing ingredients. These were simply amazing, like mouth watering and salivatingly good chocolates that were clearly made by a talented chocolatier. In the white chocolate truffle, the passion fruit puree worked well with the banana hefeweizen notes, while the rich chocolate Coco Loco beer infused truffle was super rich tasting hinting at the booze ever so slightly. The Barleywine infused treat had some nice toffee characteristics in it while the Loins Winter Ale added a nice touch to it the vanilla infused truffle. I found in each piece, the malts in the beer were noticeable enough but not over powering which is perfect. What a great idea this was and it gave me even more ideas of potential beer and chocolate pairings for the future!

In order to pair chocolate with beer successfully, I suggest following a few ground rules. First, start off with a stout or porter to understand how chocolate flavours interact with the darker malts and coffee flavours in these styles of beer. Second, be sure to buy quality chocolate (organic fair trade if possible) in order to avoid stuff full of sugar, wax and other chemicals that can create off flavours and lead to the consumption of bland chocolates. Third, if you are enjoying a treat that does have a lot of sugar in it, do try to dissolve the sugar in your mouth before drinking the beer as it will fizz up a bit in your mouth and can make it difficult to taste anything. Fourth, don’t be afraid to go beyond the dark beers!

It’s the beginning of a new year, the gyms are full, the step counters are active and everyone you know is on some sort of diet that might even include abstaining from alcohol. However, before you give up craft beer consider that it can still be a part of a healthy diet if you monitor your consumption and pay attention to what you are eating with your beverages. This article is meant to open your mind to the possibilities of pairing craft beer with food without increasing those pesky numbers on the scale. In fact, you may even add some more nutrients and vitamins to your diet if it’s done right. In each of these pairings, the beer accounts for half or more of the calories in the meal depending on the alcohol by volume (abv) percentage so you really have to watch your portion sizes closely and read the food labels to make these work to your advantage.

 

First Pairing Idea – When You Are Craving Spicy Greasy Food and an IPA, Try Something New

 

IPA’s and spicy food go together so well that this craving is hard not to give into time to time. The bitter juicy hops intensify the spicy foods at first, enhance the saltiness and then douse the flames at the last second in order to cleanse your palate for more greasy hot goodness. However, most of these foods found in pubs are very high in calories, salt and fat so they are likely to hinder any weight management goals for this year. If you are craving something like this I suggest a Session IPA (or ISA) which cuts your calories almost in half compared to a craft IPA due to lower alcohol content, while still providing a lot of hop flavours and bitterness. Once you’ve found the right beer, try pairing it with a nutrient rich spicy kale chip from the healthy snack aisle in your local grocery store. I chose a 4.5% abv ISA called Hop Therapy by Russell Brewing for this pairing and a crunchy, spicy kale chip.

Nutritional Info – Chipotle Kale Chips & Russell Brewing ISA:

Calories – 265 Fat – 9g Carbs – 23g Protein – 6.5g Fiber 3g

The kale chips had chia seeds, cashews and sesame seeds in them to give a crunchy texture with a nutty flavour that heated up once you tasted the chipotle spices and finished with a vegetative green bitterness typical of kale. The beer had some light biscuit malts with a dry grapefruit and lemon grass finish and refreshing mouth feel. When these two are paired together the spice of the kale chip intensified, the malts in the beer shined and interestingly enough the bitterness was pleasantly accentuated in both the kale and the beer. Yes, as weird as it sounds, bitter spicy kale chips and beer actually work as a pairing. As an alternate, a session craft Lager or session craft Ale would work here too and the healthy snack aisle has all kinds of vegetable chips in it to experiment with.

 

Second Pairing Idea – When You Are Craving Beer and Beer Nuts, Try This Pairing Instead

 

There are lots of nut mixes out there and many of them are blanched, roasted, salted, spiced, oiled, sugared and coated with corn syrup to make them taste better because, well at least in my opinion, the raw healthiest versions are kind of bland and boring. The problem with many of these mixes is that they often contain added calories, added sodium, the occasional preservative and other things that you may not want more of in your diet or simply a bunch of nuts you simple don’t like. Another way you can try to “flavour” them up though is by pairing them with a Nut Brown style ale and recreate that game day beer and nuts combo that we all love. I figured for this pairing, a Chestnut Brown Ale and 25 grams of raw almonds would pair quite nicely together and I was right.

Nutritional Info – Raw Almonds & Whistler Brewing Chestnut Ale:

Calories – 285 Fat – 12g Carbs – 18g Protein – 6g Fiber 3g

The raw almonds were fairly bland with tiny hints of natural sweetness from the nut and dry earthy flavours as they went down. This beer has a sweet nutty flavour up front, with an earthy middle and heavy chestnut finish which is quite unique. Combined, the natural sweetness of the almonds is enhanced and like a bag of mixed nuts, the chestnut and almond flavours play off of each other by blending their unique earthy properties into some new flavours that make the raw almonds significantly more edible. This works pretty well, I would recommend this as a perfect post workout recovery snack. Alternatively, you could go with any Brown Ale here or try a spicy Saison to mix it up and basically any raw nut unprocessed nut that you like will do.

 

Third Pairing – Cheese and Beer Make The Perfect Pairing

 

Beer and cheese go together very well, better than wine and cheese in my opinion, simply due to the various flavour profiles of the many styles of beer out there and a huge variety of cheeses to choose from. The trick to pairing these two together is to pay attention to the age of the cheese, the texture, the moisture content and to pick a style that is best suited to pair with the beer and not be over powered by it. Now, it is important to note that cheese is a fairly calorie dense food so you have to watch your portions carefully otherwise it is easy to overdo it. For this pairing I went with a basic 5% abv Pale Ale and a small 30 gram portion of a delightful 6 year aged sharp cheddar.

Nutritional Info – 6 Year Aged Sharp Cheddar & Longwood Extra Ale:

Calories – 270 Fat – 9g Carbs – 14g Protein – 9g Fiber 0g

The beer featured some caramel malts, floral and grassy hop notes and a mild bitter finish with a medium body while the cheese was an intensely sharp cheddar featuring a bit of a nutty caramel characteristic and a lingering aftertaste with a slightly creamy body. When paired together, the already excellent cheese went into the delicacy level of savory flavours. The caramels in the beer and cheese shine while the nutty sharp cheddar blends into the astoundingly creamier body of the cheese subduing any hop bitterness and replacing it with rich cheddar earthy delight. I paused every time I took a bite of cheese after having a sip of beer, this was incredible and the small amount of cheese was just right. This is perfect for when you are craving rich and intensely flavoured foods like penne alfredo. A good alternate pairing would be Brie cheese and a Belgian Blonde beer or German Style Hefeweizen or an Amber Ale with the same cheese.

 

Fourth Pairing – Recreate Oktoberfest At Home With Fewer Calories

 

A typical bratwurst sausage has just under 300 calories on its own, but once you add a pretzel bun, condiments and pint of beer you can easily be pushing close to 1000 calories just in one serving. What might be ok once or twice a year can be pretty damaging if it becomes a habit. Yet again, with a little creativity and shopping around you can recreate all of the excellent flavours of a beer and sausage pairing in a way that can be enjoyed any day of the week. I decided to pair a freshly made, nitrate free herbed turkey sausage with sauerkraut and a 6.2% abv Oktoberfest Lager from Winnipeg, BC.

Nutritional Info – Turkey Sausage, Sauerkraut & Oktoberfest Lager:

Calories – 290 Fat – 4g Carbs – 14g Protein – 16g Fiber 0g

The turkey sausage was slightly salty and herbed with a meaty umami flavour that already goes pretty well with the slightly sweet and fairly sour flavours in the sauerkraut. For an Oktoberfest lager, this particular beer was slightly darker and had some nice cereal grains and toffee malts upfront with some noble floral spicy bitter hop notes on the finish. Combined, the umami increased, while the caramelized outside of the sausage complemented the sweet toffee in the beer. The herbs and the floral hops worked together well and interestingly enough a hidden molasses flavour appeared in the beer. This could be a meal on its own to be honest, quite filling and the cabbage sauerkraut makes a good side dish without adding a lot of calories. Feel free to experiment with other leaner sausages and Lager style beer pairings or even try a Lambic style beer for an adventure.

 

Fifth Pairing – When You Deserve a Treat, Beer and Ice Cream Floats Can’t Be Beat

 

Odds are you’ve had a root beer or cola float at some point in your life, especially as a kid or on your last visit to a sunny vacation spot. Floats are awesome treats, but they can also be super sweet and loaded with all kinds of chemicals found in modern day sodas. If by chance you are craving a root beer float, I strongly suggest having an adults only craft beer float instead. You do have to watch the portions really closely as it’s easy to go overboard on the ice cream, so be sure to measure the portions before adding it to the beer. I decided to go with a ½ cup of natural vanilla bean ice cream and a 5.5% abv Coffee Porter from Ontario in an attempt to create a mocha ice cream float.

Nutritional Info – Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Coffee Porter:

Calories – 295 Fat – 7g Carbs – 27g Protein – 4.5g Fiber 0g

The ice cream was pretty straight forward vanilla bean, with a sweet cream texture and taste while the beer had notes of chocolate, dark roast coffee, brown sugar and cocoa. Once I put the ice cream in the beer, it foamed up significantly and spilled out the glass just a little so be careful not to overfill your glassware. The ice cream and the beer blended together into iced mocha cappuccino flavour, much like a milk stout, but with a marvelous creamy texture. This was so good, an adult ice cream float that was rich, creamy and not overly sweet like a typical cola or root beer float.

 

Bonus – Sometimes The ABV Is So High, You Just Have To Enjoy The Beer On Its Own

 

This Maple Scotch Ale from Quebec brewer Dieu Du Ciel is 9.5% abv in strength which brings the estimated calories in just this small bottle of beer to 285 calories. It was aged in Bourbon Barrels for 12 months so it has an intense malty sweet, oak and bourbon vanilla flavour that is almost over powering. When you pick up a beer like this, I suggest you simply sit back and sip it on its own without a food pairing to keep your calories in check, the scale will thank you later!

It’s good to really think about alcohol volume and portion size when it comes to craft beer if you want to avoid weight gain. Many places serve true pints of7% abv IPA’s and it’s pretty easy to have 2 or 3 in a single sitting bringing your beer consumption to a massive 1200 or more liquid calories. Once you add in some pub food or snacks you’re probably already at your entire day’s worth of energy intake in a single meal. But, if you are smart about it and know your numbers, you can beat the system without sacrificing flavour and quality – in fact you can increase both if you do it right!

Christmas is close and the treats are a plenty, some traditional favourites, some new experiences and perhaps even the dreaded fruitcake will make an appearance. Amongst all of the delicacies there are also some very tasty seasonal craft beers being released and you’ll want to pay attention to this advice on how to get the most cheer out of your feast. A good food and craft beer pairing can enhance and tantalize the tongue, while a mishap can steal away all the sensory fun. There are so many winter beers out there every year and this guide is full of suggestions to bring you more cheer with your beer!

First Pairing – Can Craft Beer Make Even Fruitcake Taste Good?

I was a little skeptical of this one a first since I have always found fruitcake to be just the worst, however I have learned that some of the home made style fruitcakes are not too shabby and totally blow away any sort of store bought version you may encounter. For this pairing I found a local bakery that makes a Canadian ‘prairie style’ fruitcake that is loaded with sweet candied fruits, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins. The question is, can you pair with beer and can it get better?

The Results

– On its own the fruitcake is actually quite decent however when I paired with a Dopplebock style beer from Winnipeg, Manitoba it truly got better! This style of beer is generally a very malty sweet lagered beer that features fruity tasting notes and a general booziness which makes it a great candidate to complement fruitcake. This is because these cakes are often soaked in booze to preserve and add richness as the cake “ripens”, so pairing with a malty sweet boozy beer is a great way to get their faster without the wait. The fruit in the cake got richer and more prominent while interestingly enough the beer got less sweet and malts erupted in to a whole new level of toffee and nuttiness. This was actually really good! Alternates styles to try would be an Eisbock which is the highest on the malty sweet scale of beers, a Munich Dunkel or even a strong Scottish Ale. If presented with a fruitcake over the holidays, find a strong alcohol by volume, super malty sweet beer to go with it and you may just be able to get it down with a smile on your face!

Second Pairing – Wake Up With the Taste of Maple on Your Plate and in Your Glass

If you’ve never tried making beer pancakes than quite frankly you are missing out. To make them simply follow any recipe like normal and simply substitute the milk with an equal volume of beer and viola you have beer pancakes packed with beer flavour and a lighter fluffy texture when compared to the regular ones. You can make them with any beer, however to get a true Canadian pancake experience I suggest making them with a Maple Porter like I did below and of course with maple bacon on side. Don’t stop there though, be sure to save some beer for the meal and enjoy them together in a perfect winter warmer pairing.

The Results

– First I must say, the pancakes made with this British Columbian Maple Porter were absolutely fantastic , hands down the best beer pancake I have ever made in my life. It added such a beautiful maple and nutty overlay to every single bite that I don’t know if I can ever go back to a normal pancake after this. This particular beer has some nice chocolate, molasses and maple flavours that are all balanced together nicely in the glass. When you pair it with the maple syrup drizzled amd beer

infused pancakes, these suckers practically explode with maple flavour and highlight fruity notes I never noticed in maple syrup before. The beer itself showcased more of the molasses flavours and when paired with the bacon, the flavours intensified from the bacon salt and the bacon simply got meatier. Alternate styles to try would be Chocolate Stouts, Dunkelweizens or any Nut Brown Ale both inside the pancakes and paired with the meal to keep it interesting.

Third Pairing – Complement your Dinner Tourtière with Winter Ales to Share

This particular dish is a Christmas tradition in Quebec often part of their réveillon – translated to long dinner – typically featuring finely ground pork, cinnamon and cloves all stuffed into a traditional pie crust that is cooked and served with syrup or preserves. Tourtière, if made right, is nothing short of heavenly so when you are looking to pair this with a craft beer, you’ll want to look for something that will complement the flavours without overpowering them. For that reason, I went with a fairly basic Winter Ale from Alberta.

The Results

– I was happy to find a bakery who could do this pie right, as I wanted something as traditional as possible for this pairing. The tourtière featured pork laced with sweet maple and clove flavours that could be eaten entirely on its own to complete satisfaction which is a good sign. However, when I started pairing it with this beer the cloves, sweetness and biscuit crust were on overload and I was left with a basically mouthful of awesomeness. For the beer, the toffee malts and the wintery spices became more prominent making the beer significantly better than it was on its own. Both the beer and the pie helped each other out quite nicely which is exactly what you are looking for when pairing beer and food. Alternate styles to try with a meaty dish like this would be a Traditional Ale or perhaps a cellared Bière de Garde if you are feeling more adventurous.

Fourth Pairing – How Do You Pair Beer with a Dessert That Has Everything?

No Canadian Christmas is complete without adding in a west coast treat that has it all, the infamous Nanaimo Bar! The combination of sweet chocolate and savory custard with a decadent cocoa and coconut crust makes for a pretty amazing combination of flavours here already so any beer pairing needs to be a delicate work of art. For this beer I went with an Imperial Chocolate Stout from British Columbia relying on my previous experiences in pairing chocolate beers with sweet chocolaty foods in hopes that this would work .

The Results

– Surprisingly, the savoury custard in the middle of the Nanaimo Bar got a real boost from strong chocolate beer, intensifying the custard flavour which was really nice. As I expected, the sweet treat cut into the sweetness of the beer allowing the cocoa nibs to shine while turning this close to 9% alcohol by volume beer into a cool sensual sipping chocolate. It was nice having these two desserts together. If you are looking for alternate styles too pair with this dessert, you’ll have to tread very carefully and try for something with a lot of chocolate or chocolate malt like a Chocolate Stout, or you may be able to get away with a Coconut Porter as well.

Fifth Pairing – Mince and Match with Fruity Sweet Barleywines

Mince pies are traditionally stuffed with British Mincemeat and are a traditional treat that was carried over into Canada years ago when many people from the UK immigrated here. These small tart sized pies can be found everywhere around Christmas time often at Christmas markets and bakeries, or can be easily made at home if you have the time. Similar to a butter tart, these pies are stuffed with succulent fruit and topped with some pastry crust making for a wintery spiced delight. I thought I would be a little adventurous by pairing this dessert with a Barleywine from Quebec to see how these two interacted.

The Results

– This particular Barleywine from Quebec is a fairly boozy, with lots earthy dark fruit notes and it packs a double digit alcohol punch, so it needs something equally intense in flavour to stand up to it which is why mince tarts work so well. As these were paired, the fruit sweetness and star anise in the beer was exaggerated while the richness of the mincemeat fruit and the dark fruits managed to flourish on my palate. The Barleywine was significantly improved by the mince pie, adding complexity to its flavour profile and richening the fruit notes in the beer. These two complemented each other way better than I expected! Alternates include spiced Winter Ales or even a Winter Fruit Beer like a Cranberry Éphémère just be sure to look for something fairly intense on spices and fruit to complement these treats.

In closing, there is a plethora of treats and craft beers out there every Christmas season and it can be a little tricky find one’s that will go together nicely. Look for similar flavours and have some fun with it to make the Holiday’s more ‘beerful and cheerful’ at the same time!

I am always disappointed when I go out to a Japanese Restaurant and feel the urge to order an interesting beer with my sushi. Way more often than not, these places will have a small selection of Asian rice lagers like Asahi Super Dry, Sapporo Premium and sometimes unsatisfying macro beers like Kokanee or Coors Light. As a craft beer fan I can never bring myself to order a beer in these places, instead I am forced to get take out and try to come up with more interesting food and beer pairings at home. In this article I will outline my recent experience pairing takeout sushi and Canadian craft beers while suggesting some alternative options for you to try as well, hoping that one day that these types of craft beer options will find their way into our favourite Japanese restaurants.

 

First Pairing – What Gose with Gyoza?

 

For starters and appetizers, Japanese restaurants usually have a variety of options including Edamane, Sunomono, Seafood Salad, Miso Soup, Tempura and other options like Gyoza. Personally I prefer to start with some fried or steamed pork Gyoza before I enjoy my sushi . I actually got my pairing idea by chance simply because of the similarities of the names at first, choosing a Gose style beer from Driftwood Brewery in Victoria, British Columbia which is aptly named Gose-Uh. What started as a bit of a joke really made sense after I put some thought into it and I am very glad that I chose this style of beer to start with. Now in case you were wondering, a Gose is an unusual style of wheat beer that has salt (or salt water) added to it and carries a lemon tartness characteristic if made correctly.

The Results – This particular pairing worked really well because sipping the beer before eating a Gyoza had the same effect as salting meat, which brought out the rich flavors in the pork more profoundly while calming the salty Gose a little bit and highlighting the lemon tartness of the beer. Alternate choices would be a Dark Lager or even a Stout for the Gyoza, however I didn’t want to blow my palate before I ate the sushi so I though this worked well.

 

Second Pairing – Don’t Overpower Your Nigiri Sushi or Sashimi with a Heavy Beer

 

Likely the main reason that many Japanese restaurants don’t offer anything other than rice or macro lagers is their Nigiri sushi, which is a slice of raw fish placed on rice or Sashimi where you skip the rice altogether and just eat the raw fish. This is a dish you do not want to over power or take away from because it generally is the highlight of a good sushi meal. It is because of this that I chose Mill Street’s Organic Lager from Toronto, Ontario as my beer pairing, which although not the most amazing beer out there is a decent craft pale lager that is better that the macro offerings and has a nice mix of sweet honey, grains and hints of lemongrass in it. With each selection of my Nigiri Sushi I would take a sip of the beer, eat a bite, sip some more and then finish the piece with some soy sauce and a touch of wasabi to explore the pairing properly.

The Results – The beer really cut into the fatness of the fish, enriching the flavour of the meat while also concurrently enhancing the beer to the point where it was quite enjoyable as the malts came out way more when paired with the salty fish, it also slightly toned down the wasabi. As an alternate I would hesitate to go with anything beyond a basic lager here, perhaps a very mild Witbier or basic Wheat Ale but nothing overly intense otherwise you will overpower the subtle flavours in the raw fish. This is also why I prefer to eat it before my rolls which can be a bit more intense.

 

Third Pairing – IPAs and Spicy Rolls are a Hot Topic

 

IPA’s go very well with spicy food if your goal is to intensify the heat and this is where I really wish Japanese restaurants would step up their craft beer game. You see I like spicy food, I have a fairly high tolerance for hot spices and I enjoy it on my palate, so whenever I am trying to find a craft beer to go with spicy food I reach for a reasonably bitter IPA. I chose a signature spicy tuna dish from my local sushi place that is a rice roll jam packed with spicy tuna and lightly fried to give a crunchy outside texture, I like raw spicy tuna as well, but this particular roll is really quite nice and I ate a few avocado rolls to cleanse my palate between the rolls. The beer I chose was a Sergeant’s IPA from Old Yale Brewing brewed in Chilliwack, British Columbia (winner of Canadian Beer of the Year with their Sasquatch Stout in 2014). This IPA is moderately bitter with tangerine citrus notes and a piney grapefruit lingering finish making it a perfect spicy food pairing IPA.

The Results – Intense spiciness all over my mouth, top to bottom, left to right after every sip of beer. I have to admit that it was pretty wild to eat the sushi roll and get a kick of the spice and the follow it up with a sip of beer that brought a colossal wave of hot spice forward. Simply because of the way we eat, you often don’t taste the spice all over your palate and tongue, however when drinking something that intensifies it and spreads it everywhere it is a rather unique experience. Interesting enough, the hot food helped isolate the citrus hops in the beer making it even more interesting. Alternate options would be an India Pale Lager (basically a hoppy lager) to keep up with the spice intensity or if you want to tone it down a bit go for an Amber Ale that isn’t overly hoppy with a lower IBU rating.

 

Fourth Pairing – Cut the Fat with a Spicy Craft Beer. 

 

When pairing beer with fatty foods you want something that will enhance the creaminess of any cheese or avacado in the food while cutting into any other fats to expose other flavours. If you have ever paired a spicy Belgian Golden Ale with Brie cheese you’ll know what I mean. For my final sushi pairing I had ordered some deep fried California Rolls, some regular California Rolls and some left over Avacado Rolls that I thought would pair nicely with unique collaboration beer out of Shawinigan, Quebec from two of their best breweries called Dieu Du Ciel and La Trou du Diable. This particular beer has a spicy grainy start with a nice juicy middle that finishes with some fruity mango and grapefruit notes.

The Results – As expected, the beer cut into the deep fried fats and enhanced the coating while simultaneously bringing out more creaminess in the avocado part of the roll and the fatty fish (which is imitation crab). Again the fruitiness was highly enhanced in the beer, completely changing its flavour in a positive way while making the rolls taste way better than they should. Even the regular California and Avocado rolls were superior when paired with the beer. Other options would be a spicy Wheat Beer, an intense Belgian Witbier or even a decent Bohemian style Pilsner with spicy Saaz hops would do well. If you wanted to go darker a Brown Ale would do ok with the deep fried parts.

In closing, this was a very fun experience that I wish were possible in an environment where the sushi is expertly plated like artwork and is very fresh to the table. Takeout is a close second, but nothing can fully replace the in house service of good Japanese restaurant. I just wish they would start carrying more interesting beers as the flavour combinations and beer pairings are endless in possibilities.

Thanksgiving dinner is both a golden opportunity and hard-sell for beer. As with other “big meals” this is traditional stomping ground for wine, but there are several factors that cross signals for the boozy grape juice and point in the direction of beer.

Turkey is possibly the mildest flavoured meat of all. So, a good opportunity for a straightforward, crisp white wine, right? Two problems with that. First, it’s almost always cold enough by the middle of October that I want something hardier and more powerful. Even more than the weather, the side dishes are problematic. Rich, butter-reinforced mashed potatoes, herb-ridden bread stuffing, and hearty gravy would all overwhelm a simple Pinot Gris or even in an unoaked Chardonnay.

There are enough cousins in the beer family tree that it’s much easier to find an appropriate pairing among its branches. Add in the advantage that opening a bottle of beer almost always means committing to fewer servings – so you can easily choose a different one for appetizer, main, and dessert – and the choice is obvious.

Which beer is best for the table this Canadian Thanksgiving? Well, there are a few.

What the Experts Say

In The Brewmasters Table, Garrett Oliver comes down squarely in favour of biere de garde for Thanksgiving dinner. After extolling the style’s affinity for the side dishes he writes: “Then the caramelized malts meet the browned turkey skin, the biscuity malt flavors match the lightly nutty flavor of the meat, and the carbonation lifts everything.”

Last year, Serious Eats ran an installment of their Ask a Cicerone column with our topic as its central question. Answers were all over the place, but I was most attracted to tripel as an option because I tend to agree with Valerie Smith of Ecliptic Brewing that “Belgian Tripels like Westmalle and Tripel Karmeliet have enough alcohol to cut through the fats of gravy, buttery flavors,roasted or fried turkey, and creamy mashed potatos. They can also stand up to off flavored, sulfury foods like brussel sprouts and creamed onions.” On top of the alcohol, I think the tripel’s fruity characteristics also lend contrast and balance to all the various herbal ones in the food.

Dessert

What about pumpkin beers? Aren’t they the obvious choice? Well, not entirely because the problem is that they are more accurately pumpkin-pie-spice beers. I find those flavours tend to clash, especially with actual pumpkin pie. Imperial stouts and robust porters are my choice to go with the traditional Thanksgiving dessert. You might think this sounds wacky unless you’ve had a really good pumpkin pie made with a chocolate-laden graham crust or noticed how many millions of pumpkin-pie spice coffee drinks big chains sell every year.

Wild Card: Cider

If you feel that your drink selection absolutely has to send the message that can read a calendar and know what season it is, cider is the way to go. One of the current field of very dry, slightly sour hard ciders will be able to pick out and highlight the rainbow of food flavors. The slight apple sweetness can help round out the flavour of turkey and brighten the earthy-richness of sausage dressing.

Best Bet: Saison

Only allowed one bottle I’d have to come down on the side of saison. I agree with The Saint’s Jesse Vallins in that Serious Eats piece that saison has the versatility, dryness, and effervescence called for to match such a complicated menu. I’ll add that saison can also be special. Pull out a two-year-old bottle of Dupont’s Vieille Provision and even the crustiest wine snob will have to concede that this isn’t “just beer”.

One of my earlier posts here was called, Five No-Fail Craft Beer and Food Pairings. If that was Beer and Food 101, this is the upper-year seminar course. I want to take a look at a few interesting pairings that I don’t think make it onto the lists (like mine) of the obvious places to start.

Once “beer” became “craft beer” and we started to care about flavour and quality, we also started to pay more for it. With that comes a sneaking urge to make it compete with other luxury drinks — wine mainly. Have it play a part in special-occassion restaurant meals that involve sophisticated, chef-designed food. It doesn’t always have to be that way.

There are plenty of no-jacket-required situations that beer has always dominated, where craft beer can do better.

Takeout Thai Food

Not all Thai food is spicy, but enough of it has a chile kick that this characteristic should get a good deal of your attention. It’s important to balance capsaicin heat and also recognize that beers high in alcohol will spread it around your mouth and prolong the burn.

Gose and berliner weisse are two low-proof German styles that also have a touch of acidity to cut through rich coconut milk sauces and boost the meaty flavours of fish sauce.

The Mighty Potato Chip

This pair have been together for as long as anyone can remember. As our choices diverge from plain chips and fizzy, international lager some thoughtful attention comes in handy. For instance, salt & vinegar chips can be over-the-top sour, so it’s best to pair them with a beer that has sour-friendly flavours. My favourites are Belgian wits and saisons that have a noticeable citrus zest character.

Beer can also lift and enliven more complex chip flavours. Recently, Neal Brothers released a Dehli-licious curry chip in collaboration with celebrity chef Vikram Vij. A moderately hoppy American pale ale like Canuck from Great Lakes Brewery helps separate and highlight the individual flavours in the spice blend.

Pizza Night

Several, if not dozens, of brewpubs and beer-focused restaurants have the idea that beer pairs well with pizza as their foundation. That’s fine in theory, but there is much more to it. Especially for the loads-of-toppings Americanized version, pizza’s strongest flavours are on top.

So, a sausage pizza that features fennel, chile heat, and other spices needs a complex partner like biere de grade to match. That goes doubly if the pizza also includes the earthy flavour of mushrooms.

Conversely, the bready and charred flavours of a traditional neapolitan Margherita need a more subtle dance partner. Czech pilsner or a not-too-hoppy American wheat are two excellent candidates with the characteristics to highlight the finer points of the mozzarella and basil while still letting the crust play a starring role.

The common theme that bears repeating is that the most important characteristic to consider when devising a pairing is the modifier in a food’s name that separates it from its first cousins. In other words “sausage” generally matters more than “pizza” and “barbecue” more than “chips”. Keep this in mind and you’ll be well-equipped to expand the list of foods that you’re comfortable pairing with craft beer.

When I’m thinking about developed beer-based recipes I try especially hard to avoid gimmickry. I never want beer to be in the recipe just so that I can put the word in the title. I’m automatically suspicious of “beer braised” whatever or any “Beer BBQ Sauce” no matter how top-secret or finger-lickin’ it claims to be. The beer should pass the same test as any other ingredient; it has to do something better than any alternative could. If wine, water, or fruit juice could perform the function better than beer, it should be in the recipe instead. The clincher is to pay attention to what qualities distinguish beer from these pretenders to its throne

It’s All in the Foam

The least subtle beer characteristic is carbonation. Not many other liquids can boast the same advantage – soda water, sparkling wine, cider, and pop get partway there, but they all have a specific disadvantage compared to beer. What’s holding them back? Why, a lack of foaming agents, of course. That term translates roughly from Nerdspeak (my second language) like this: bubbles in almost any other liquid quickly dissipate because there’s nothing holding them together, the carbon dioxide bubbles in beer on the other hand have a longer life because proteins in the beer give them a sort of protective skin. When these foaming-agent-enhanced bubbles are part of a batter that hits hot oil they do a better job of creating a light airy space between the hot fat and the food inside. Wheat is particularly rich in the proteins that create foaming agents – this is why hefeweizens (German wheat beers with yeast in the bottle) are known for their pillowy, lasting head. Naturally, this means that wheat beers are particularly good batter bases. In general, the more foam a beer can lift when poured, and the longer that foam sticks around, the better the beer will be in a batter.

Cheat Your Way to Golden Brown and Delicious

Deep-fried and battered food tastes great for what it is. It is the rare person who has never at least contemplated the idea of eating a delicious, golden brown bits off a piece of fried chicken and leaving the drumstick behind. Batter serves a purpose beyond its own taste; we use them to protect relatively delicate food from harsh, high temperature fat. We associate that dark golden color with delicious fried food, while it’s pale blonde cousin looks boring. The problem is that sometimes cooking a batter to that shade of delicious brown means that we’ve defeated the protective purpose and the food on the inside is overcooked. Beer to the rescue. By choosing a beer with the darker complexion we can cheat our way to golden brown and delicious without worrying as much about overcooking.

Bitter for Balance

Chicken does not like to be overcooked, but it also doesn’t seem to fit the category of foods that need delicate protection. In this instance, we can employ one of beer’s calling-card flavours in an interesting way. Poultry, especially the dark meat from high-quality birds, has a rich and fat-laden flavour profile. The hoppy bitterness from a pale ale is ideal for matching this intensity and adding some background sophistication. We’ve covered the different strengths that we want to emphasize in different recipes. Here is my quick reference chart for which beer styles work best in particular applications.

The Quick Reference Guide

Hefeweizens and other German style wheat beers: The workhorse for batters on lightly flavoured food. Great for everything from onion rings to tempura. Dunkelweizen: These dark wheat beers are well-suited for thin pieces of delicate fish or white-meat chicken. American wheat beers and hopfenweisses: Nice balance for sweet, saline shellfish like oysters and shrimp. English-style bitter: the classic for pub style fish and chips. It needs a thick piece of slightly fatty, deep water fish that will have the fat to balance its concentrated bitterness. American pale ale: fried chicken and other full-flavored meat options. Batters for fried foods is one of the rocksolid beer cooking specialties. It’s an application that uses all of beer special characteristics in a way that no other liquid could. Carbonation, color, and flavour are all put to great benefit here. Whichever beer you choose don’t forget to follow my tip from an earlier post and make sure it is well-chilled.