BIG NIGHT REPORT
Our beer-paired, farm-to-table dinner went down, well, like a cold beer on a hot day. Lizzie Myers of Malt & Vine attended and spoke about the beer and about pairing it with food. For the clam recipe (pictured right), check out Page Two.
BEER & FOOD PAIRING
Unless it is a beer you are very familiar with, it is harder to know what the beer will taste like than the food. For that reason, when pairing beer with food, we start by drinking the cold, frosty beer. Note the aroma, body and flavors of the beer and then start thinking about what you might like to eat with the beer. Often times, foods will just start appearing in our heads.
If no food starts magically dancing in your brain, try using these guidelines to help you narrow down your menu.
- CUT: for us, cutting is about body and acidity. If the beer is light bodied and sharp on the tongue, we start thinking about pairing it with heavier-bodied, fatty foods. Fatty foods can coat your mouth and dull your tastebuds, an acidic beer can cut through that to reawaken your taste.
- COMPLEMENT: this is about matching flavors so that neither the beer nor food outshines the other. Delicate flavors need a delicately flavored beer -- For example, try matching a salad with a wheat beer. You may taste a stout and note chocolate flavors -- try it with a chocolate torte. You may also want to try to cook with the beer you plan to serve -- we steamed our clams in Stumptown Tart which was served alongside the dish.
- CONTRAST: here you are trying to match different flavors in a way that they highlight one another without overpowering. We admit this is the most difficult pairing to affect well. Try a hoppy pale ale with smokey ribs off the BBQ.
- GEOGRAPHY: if you preparing food from a certain area, pair it with beer from the same area. Making sushi? Get thee some Japanese lager! Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo are all available in the U.S.
THE BEERS
As requested, we have posted the beers with tasting notes.
- LAUGHING BUDDHA pandan brown: brewed with palm sugar and pandan leaves. It is dark, full-bodied, nutty, and sweet. It goes great with spicier foods.
- BARON BREWERY pilsner: malty aroma, slight spice from the hops. It has a brilliant white head on a clean, pale lager with a crisp, dry finish.
- BRIDGEPORT stumptown tart: strong beer with a pink hue and a tart kick. Marionberry infused and brewed in a Belgian-style. It is aged in French pinot noir barrels.
- WALKING MAN ipa: apricot and spring flower aroma. It has a full mouth with rich malt and an aggressive, hoppy finish.
- HALE'S ALES imperial stout pikop: pours like motor oil with a tan lacy foam. Coffee and chocolate aroma with a thick mouth-feel and a bitter, espresso finish.
- HAIR OF THE DOG doggie claws: barley wine with a gorgeous burnt orange color. Dark fruits and spices on the nose with a slight biting hop character.
