Culinary Acrobatics: Test your palate with these unusual beer and food combinations

Beer and food matching relies almost entirely on two simple principles – complimenting flavours or contrasting flavours.

Which is a fancy way of saying you either choose a beer which shares some similar flavours with the dish, so perhaps a rich, dark Imperial Stout with a gooey chocolate brownie, or you go in the opposite direction and pick something which contrasts the flavours in order to highlight them. So perhaps a sharp cherry kriek beer - which would work amazingly well with that same chocolate brownie, but for entirely different reasons.

So that’s the starting point, the basics. But where’s the fun in sticking to the rules all the time? Some flavour combinations sound a little bit left-field but actually work very well. Here’s my attempt to challenge your taste buds into trying something new, with a food and beer combination that you might not have given a go before.

Blue cheese, mango chutney, Double IPA

A strong, full-flavoured blue cheese such as a well aged stilton with all of its salty, tangy, umami laden flavours, might not sound like the perfect partner to mango chutney, typically the lubricant for a poppadom, but the combination really works. The sweetness of the chutney brings out the rich fruitiness of the cheese in a way that has to be tried to be believed.

Add a third dimension to that combination, with the inclusion of a fruity, hoppy American style double IPA on the side, and you’ve got flavour fireworks. American style Double IPAs share a fruity, mango-laden sweetness with the chutney, but they also bring out the best in funky cheese, and are one of the few beer styles that can handle the level of flavour going on in this combo (which is great on a burger).

Beer suggestions: Magic Rock Brewing Co - Cannonball, Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, Brewdog Hardcore IPA, Great Divide Brewing Co – Hercules Double IPA, Stone – Ruination IPA

Strawberries, Basil, Saison

Fresh, seasonal British strawberries are something extremely special. With a much more intense, perfumed flavour than those grown in other warmer parts of the world year-round, our home-grown strawberries are well worth the wait.

One unusual but astounding combination is strawberries with fresh torn basil. The strawberry juice seems to coax the sweetness out of the fresh basil, which in turn highlights the aromatics in British strawberries beautifully. Only the tiniest touch of sugar is needed – if at all – yet this still works perfectly as a refreshing summer dessert and isn’t in the least bit ‘savoury’.

Add a crisp, fragrant saison to the mix and you’ve got something which is the perfect end to a meal. The herbaceous quality of a good saison just works amazingly well with the strawberry and basil combination. Every ingredient seems to bring out something different, surprising and delicious in the others – which is the basis of any truly amazing food and beer combination.

Beer suggestions: Brasserie Dupont – Saison Dupont, Ilkley Brewery – Siberia, Brew By Numbers – Classic Saison, The Kernel – Saison, Brasserie Fantôme - Fantôme Saison.

Lamb Rogan Josh, Porter

Indian curries that have a tomato based sauce such as Rogan Josh are rich, heavy, spicy and fragrant all at once, making them a difficult dish to pair. After trying various different pale ales, bitters, amber ales, IPAs and everything in between, it was porter that I found the surprising match for this dish.

There’s just something about a slightly smokey porter which works amazingly well with the tomatoes and spicing in the dish, but the savoury style of the beer also dovetails nicely with the slow cooked lamb too.

Whilst a lager or pale beer gets completely bowled over by a curry, leaving the beer tasting of little but carbonation and sweetness, a good porter has enough guts to stand up to the bold flavours whilst remaining refreshing and drinkable.

Beer suggestions: Anchor – Porter, Fuller’s – London Porter, The Kernel – Export India Porter, Beavertown – Smogrocket, Samuel Smith’s – Taddy Porter.

Brown Sugar, Brisket, Black Lager

Beef and brown sugar don’t on the face of it sound like happy bedfellows, but when giving that brisket a long slow barbecuing with lots of seasonings and sugar, then things start to sound a whole lot more appetising.

Start by rubbing a good sized brisket (unrolled is better) with lots of dark brown sugar, salt and black pepper. Leave this to marinade for a few hours, or overnight, before giving it a long slow roast in the oven. For an even better flavour use a smoker or a really low temp barbecue with a lid – an easy way to do this is to push the white coals to one side and add some oak chips to create smoke.

A black lager is a match made in heaven with BBQ brisket. Having the perfect balance of smoke, sweet dark malt and hop bitterness which manages to compliment and contrast with the sweet and savoury beef all at once. Astoundingly good.

Beer suggestions: Budweiser Budvar – Dark Lager, Krombacher – Dark, Primator – Premium Dark, Bernard – Dark, Full Sail Brewing Co – Session Black.





The above first featured in the new look Ferment magazine, which this month is particularly good, including a great piece from Matt over at Total Ales.


27 comments:

  1. Very nice collection of dishes are elaborated on the page to decorate your plates. Culinary acrobatics are such tactics which are used to make things better looking for guests. Thanks for sharing this article with us and now it's easier to get help my assignment to hire a legit services. People should avail this opportunity to learn something new.

    ReplyDelete
  2. To do this let you plate be your guide. Weaken out high caloric thickness nourishments/dinners by filling ½ your plate with natural entire grains, boring veggies, as well as vegetables or organic product. Adding vegetables to any dish brings down the caloric thickness of most dinners. Go for low caloric thickness nourishments for desiring and weight control. home delivery meal chicago

    ReplyDelete
  3. Food combination is a sensible thing which I thing the foodie person well known about the managing all these kind things to make it more emerging.
    Digital Marketing

    ReplyDelete
  4. Finding a good portable mini-refrigerator should not be difficult. Best Portable Food Warmers

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fantabulous post this has been. Never seen this kind of useful post. I am grateful to you and expect more number of posts like these. Thank you very much. anti captcha key

    ReplyDelete
  6. Two star cafés serve food that is new in a setting which is perfect. Administration offered by a two-star café is proficient and family well disposed. Two-star café visitors will actually want to discover the entirety of the attributes of a one-star eatery, notwithstanding some improved highlights and more expert style.
    Persian Restaurant Near Me

    ReplyDelete
  7. Numerous Asian eateries get ready fish in a manner that is somewhat unique in relation to American arrangement of exactly the same fish. The flavors utilized in these dishes will give an alternate flavor to the fish while permitting the characteristic taste of the fish to come through.Persian Restaurants

    ReplyDelete
  8. Then again, in the event that you own a café, you need to place in measures that intrigue your clients enough to make them return as cheerful clients who can get the news out and get you significantly more clients. Tragically, you just become more acquainted with how great a café is by sitting and appreciating the administrations, however here are a portion of the characteristics that make a decent eatery. Persian Restaurant Near Me

    ReplyDelete
  9. On the off chance that you take a gander at another entire food like nectar, it's anything but a characteristic antibacterial and it can focus on specific regions. On the off chance that you have an injury, you can set nectar on the right track on to that injury without stressing over disease. fast food menu prices

    ReplyDelete
  10. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! keep up the good work... indian samosa

    ReplyDelete
  11. global students to obtain desired order research proposal as they are restricted to the neighborhood assignment writing services. Also you're predicted to communicate the outcomes of the field work in your research. You might wonder if you are going to be happy with our work.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Almost certainly, this is an arduous exercise yet at its generally agile and liquid. Bungee Fitness

    ReplyDelete
  13. Genuine food is developed from the earth. Organic products, vegetables, grains, lentils, seeds, and nuts are stacked with nutrients and minerals, regular medication (phytochemicals), and energy; and are alive and brimming with surprising parts that keep us alive and solid. https://bubbies.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey friend, it is very well written article, thank you for the valuable and useful information you provide in this post. Keep up the good work! FYI, please check these depression, stress and anxiety related articles:
    Essay On Gallantry Award Winner , How to use credit cards wisely and make money, 365 Tales from Indian Mythology PDF Free Download

    ReplyDelete
  15. I’ve read some good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much effort you put to create such a great informative website. https://www.evernote.com/client/web?login=true&newReg=true#?an=true&n=103fca0e-4af0-bc0d-0105-9d852456e157&

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work. anti captcha api

    ReplyDelete

  17. Assuming that an individual is considering setting up an eatery, he should intently take a gander at the accessibility of the materials nearby. For instance, a fish café will rely incredibly upon the accessibility of new fixings and fish in the nearby market. If not, the proprietor should search for different options which can cost him extra cash. Ballina Restaurants

    ReplyDelete
  18. Meeting future demands and expectations is a major problem for organizations in today’s changing environment. As a result, acknowledging the need for ISO training is critical to achieving company goals. Visit ISO Training

    ReplyDelete
  19. Such a beneficial and informational post it is. Thank you so much for writing this piece of information and sharing it with us! If you want to bring more business and more engaging customers to your brand, it is essential to have website development services. People in US tend to shop online, as social media provides easy and safe access to everybody worldwide. Since the growth of the international market has increased many folds, a website has become a necessity of every business.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Your business has accounts on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest. But do you still find yourself looking at better ways of using the features these platforms offer? Here are 8 social media marketing tips for you to implement to improve the results of all social media marketing efforts undertaken for your business. Advertising agency Greensboro NC

    ReplyDelete
  21. https://onohosting.com When a small, medium or big sized business needs a competent search engine optimization (SEO) consultant, there are four options available. So, what are the challenges and what is the best option for your company? There are many points to consider before taking your decision.

    ReplyDelete
  22. What's more, in the event that they have an irritated throat and fever, they ought to be limited from planning and serving food.This is disturbing on the grounds that these individuals possibly might have spread illness to individuals who eat the food sources their foundations were serving. Food and Wood

    ReplyDelete
  23. we only help our clients save time, save money, meet audit requirements, and reduce security incidents.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Experimenting with flavor combinations can be exciting and rewarding. Try pairing a strong blue cheese with mango chutney and a Double IPA. The sweetness of the chutney enhances the rich fruitiness of the cheese, creating a surprisingly delightful match.

    ReplyDelete
  25. The Bog insights were valuable and the writing style kept me engaged. I've recently completed my stats assignment, thanks to Rapid Assignment Help! Their Statistics Assignment Help service was incredibly thorough, and they delivered the content in a way that made everything click. The writers have real expertise, and I could tell they knew exactly what was required to get high marks. Communication was smooth, and they kept me updated on the progress. If you’re looking for dependable Assignment Help UK, you can’t go wrong with them. They really take the stress out of tricky assignments!

    ReplyDelete
  26. To make an online change in your npi number , go to https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov and follow the steps provided below: NOTE: Changes to Date of Birth, Social Security Number, Reactivation of an NPI, and Deactivation of an NPI cannot be completed online and require a Paper Application/Update Form.

    ReplyDelete