Pairing beer with food on the menu is an intimidating task, but when succeeded, it can be a huge benefit for the business. For the perfect beer and food pairing, the clear understanding of different styles and flavours of beer is the must.

Beer and Food Pairing Idea

Trying unique beer and food pairings is as interesting as dangerous.  You can pair food and beer with the contrast flavours. For example, oysters and stout, oysters have strong and salty flavours that can boost the rich flavour of a stout. You can also pair beer and food with complementing flavours. Match rich food with beer having heavy and rich flavours. Try pairing salads with light beers, and fruity and wheat beers with desserts or fruit tarts. Beers can be used as palate cleansers too when you have strong or overpowering flavours in the food. A light beer will work beautifully with spiced fried chicken; it will provide relief from the spiciness.

Food dishes and different beer styles

Follow LBC’s guide to pairing your beer perfectly with the various food dishes.

Blonde Ale

Blonde Ales are smooth, malty and sweet in the flavours. They can be paired with sweet, spicy or hot foods including chicken, salads, salmon, bratwurst and Monterey Jack cheese.

British Style Bitter Beer

This beer style can be paired with a wide variety of food such as roast chicken, pork, fish and chips, mild cheese, and oatmeal and raisin cookies.

Pale Ale

Pale Ales have sweet malty flavours balanced by hoppy bitterness. This bitterness pairs in contrast with spicy, smoky and aromatic flavours. The best foods to pair with Pale Ales are meat pie, English cheese and burgers.

India Pale Ale

IPAs have increased maltiness with outstanding hoppy aromas and flavours. They are best paired with intensely flavorful and much spicy dishes such as curry, or sweet desserts like chocolate cake and Crème Brulee.

Amber / Red Ale

Amber Ales have sweet caramel notes and citrusy aromas which complement rich, fragrant, spicy and smoked food such as chicken, seafood, burgers and salute cheese.

Brown Ale

Brown Ales are full of malty flavours with hints of caramel and chocolate. You can pair it with roast pork, smoked sausages, grilled salmon, and aged Gouda cheese.

Abbey Dubbel

Abbey Dubbel is best paired with barbeque, meat stews, thick steak, smoked rib roast or desserts like milk chocolate, butter truffles, and chocolate pudding.

Old or Strong Ale

Strong old ales are best to be consumed with big dishes like roast beef or lamb, and desserts like plum-walnut tart, toffee apple crisp and classic canolli.

Barley Wine Beer

Barley Wine Beers have strong natural sweet flavours with a little hoppy bitterness. As the strength of its flavours is very high, it can overpower the main dishes. Hence, pairing it with strong cheeses, sweet chocolates and caramel desserts is best.

We often update our article with newer information, so stay tuned with LBC to check out more interesting stuff. 

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