By-lined to Adam Dulye, Executive Chef for the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers. Dulye is one of the world’s leading experts on beer and food pairing and in this article he explains how to create mouth-watering pairings without any cooking!
Please find the german translation of this article here.
With eating-out options limited in the current climate we’re looking to expand our culinary experiences in other ways. If cooking at home every night is losing appeal this handy guide to pairing American craft beer with no-cook food will have your tastebuds tingling and your senses salivating. Cheese, charcuterie and chocolate make perfect partners for the multitude of flavours found in American craft beer. Here’s why…..
- Acidity, carbonation and bitterness in beer cut through fat
- Malt found in beer complements creamy, nutty, earthy or caramel flavours and contrasts with salt
- Ingredients used in craft beer (especially carbonation and alcohol) can alter the texture of both the rind and the paste of cheese and provide complementary and/or contrasting flavours for each
Here are a few guidelines for getting started:
- Cheese, like beer, should be served at the correct temperature. Take cheese out of the fridge and let it warm to room temperature before pairing. Keep beer at the correct temperature for the style.
- Match intensities. Delicate, lighter American craft beers often pair well with young or mild cheeses, while stronger flavoured beer tend to work better with full-flavoured, mature cheeses. The same applies to cold meats.
- Look for common ground. For example, a malty craft beer pairs well with a nutty cheese, or a hoppy, bitter beer cuts through a cheese with a high fat content
- Think about other sensations and interactions such as acidic or salty cheese with a hop-forward beer
- Charcuterie refers to smoked, cured or cooked meats and generally involves salting (preserving) and air-drying, and this effects how they interact with beer
- Palate balancers – nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruit, honey and pickled items all make great additions to craft beer and cheese
- Aim for 25g of cheese per 100ml pairing of beer
Suggested American craft beer and Cheese Pairings:
| Cheese Style | Description | Beer Style |
|---|---|---|
| Soft Cheese | Butterkäse, mozzarella, goats cheese will match the delicate notes of the beer without overwhelming the palate | Wheat beer, Lambic-style beer |
| Semi-soft Cheese | Cambozola or Harzer can be enhanced by a high level of carbonation. Salty cheese like Romadur needs a thirst-quenching, refreshing style to combat its dryness | Kolsch, Pilsner, Pale Ale |
| Hard Cheese | Allgäuer Emmentaler, Gruyere, Cheddar echo the nutty, earthy notes of a brown ale or stout. These beers add creaminess on the palate to a hard cheese | Brown Ale, Imperial Stout, Bock |
| Blue Cheese | Strongly flavoured cheeses such as Bergador, Roquefort and Stilton can be successfully balanced with bolder beer styles | IPA or Imperial IPA, Barley wine |
| Natural Rind Cheeses | Bavaria Blu, Brie and Camembert have a rich creamy base that can be refreshed with a golden, blonde or pale ale. | Golden/Blonde ale, Pale ale |
| Washed Rind Cheeses | Limburger, Taleggio, Beers bring out the cheeses’ delicate sweet note and can cut through the funk of the washed rind | Belgian-style ales |
For cold-cuts, smoked meats and charcuterie try:
| Type of Cut | Description | Beer Style |
|---|---|---|
| Prosciutto di Parma (pork) | A classification of ham from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Known for its umami flavour | Pilsner, Doppelbock or Saison |
| Bresaola (beef) | Dark red cut of beef, thinly sliced. One of the leanest cured meats | Brown Ale |
| Speck (pork) | Smoked, cured meat, milder and firmer in texture than prosciutto | Smoked Beer, American Pale Ale |
| Saucisson Sec (pork) | A French-style salami. Typically dry-cured and rich in flavour | Robust Porter |
| Chorizo (pork) | A distinctive bright red colour due to addition of smoked paprika. | Smoked Beer, Pilsner |
| Mortadella (pork) | Cooked sausage made from ground pork meat, garnished with pistachios and small cubes of fat for extra flavour | Belgian-style Trappist ale |
| Salami Piccante (pork) | Can be spicy to mild. Spiced with paprika and hot to mild red peppers known as peperoni | Imperial IPA |
| Pâté | Usually made from ground pork, duck or chicken liver and spices | Stout |
Finally, for chocolate….
| Chocolate Type | Description | Beer Style |
|---|---|---|
| White Chocolate | creamy texture, no cocoa solids, usually contains 20% cocoa butter, sugar and 14% milk solids | Witbier, Brown Ale, Sweet Stout, fruited Wheatbeer |
| Milk Chocolate | usually around 35-45 cacao solids | American pale ale, Brown ale, Amber ale |
| Dark chocolate | at least 35% cacao solids but commonly above 70% | Robust Porter, Imperial Stout, Dubbel, Lambic style beers |
Look out for beers with speciality ingredients such as coffee, chocolate, peanut butter and many more that offer endless possibilities for pairing with chocolate.
More information on beer and food pairing is available on www.craftbeer,com
Look out for American craft beer at selected retailers in Germany.
About the Brewers Association
Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association and the free Brew Guru™ mobile app. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.