What Beer do Foodies Prefer?

I like hoppy with spicy. Otherwise, generally not so much with food. I think the hops cuts thru the spice really well. Cleanses the palate. A Thai restaurant without an IPA on tap is doing it wrong.

I generally agree with you that hoppy beers can go well with spicy foods, though it depends on what kind of spicy food. Mexican or Tex-Mex, while spicy, also seems too rich for most hoppy beers, in my opinion. A lot of Thai, Cambodian or Vietnamese dishes would work well, though in a different way than my example of a reuben (which is not spicy in a hot way, but still spicy).

At the end of the day, pairing is pretty subjective (which I hope is obvious). Sometimes foods and beverages that don't seem like obvious pairs actually work great together, and sometimes obvious pairs are boring and actually not that great together.

I think that you could take the pairing a step further for beer and food, and use some lessons that the wine world has learned. Plus as a lover of beer and wine, I think it is always fun to think about similarities of the two libations instead of the disparities. For example: Shane's grilled salmon with dill sauce could pair with the Hefeweizen, witbier, saison as Rob said, but if you found one of those that had oak barrel treatment as some brewers do (especially american oak) you would add complimentary flavors to the grilled notes and the dill. American Oak can impart slight hints of dill, and although usually on the nose, smell can definitely heighten the sensation of flavor.
I think there are so many more parallels with beer and wine that don't get discussed enough most of the time.

The main reason I personally shy away from general beer/food recommendations is that they do not take into account the novice beer drinker's palate.

For instance, I believe an America APA is the perfect compliment for spicy beer cheese. However, APAs are generally far too bitter for American lager fans and can be downright offensive to wine lovers.
So, should a classic Bud Light drinker take my suggestion and have a Sierra Nevada APA with beer cheese? Or would a Spaten Lager or Upland Wheat make a better pairing for those that drink American lagers?

I may suggest a mild saison with tomato sauce dishes for you Shane, but a kolsch to those with less beer experience. The same scenario applies with the other foods you suggest. Alfredo - for you something contrasting like a milk stout and for less experienced folks a light bodied hefeweizen.


Oliver's book is probably the best I have read dealing with the relationship between beer and food. Hopefully, it will allow you to tap into your inner beer Jedi.

Shawn

I like hoppy with spicy. Otherwise, generally not so much with food. I think the hops cuts thru the spice really well. Cleanses the palate. A Thai restaurant without an IPA on tap is doing it wrong.

I generally agree with you that hoppy beers can go well with spicy foods, though it depends on what kind of spicy food. Mexican or Tex-Mex, while spicy, also seems too rich for most hoppy beers, in my opinion. A lot of Thai, Cambodian or Vietnamese dishes would work well, though in a different way than my example of a reuben (which is not spicy in a hot way, but still spicy).

Agreed on Mexican and Tex-Mex. That is why I think the sweetness of something like an Oktoberfest works well with them.

Ray, thanks for quoting the article from my good buddy Greg Koch, founder of Stone Brewing. I've had many awesome beers with him, but frankly, he always kept the good stuff stashed away at home, like some crazy Belgian lambic Grand Cru's he had hidden. We may have had crackers or something with those killer beers, but never a meal.

When eating out, it was just pizza and whatever Stone beer was on tap, at some local place like Pizzaport (San Diego area).

Personally, as a beer geek, I don't like to mix beer and food. I think that the food distracts from the flavors of the beer. But that is personal preference. As a brewmaster, I've been to more than my share of paired beer dinners, and talked about what goes well with this or that, but if you have a great beer it should stand on its own.

And there are many great beers out there. But the brewers tend to keep the best ones for themselves (and their friends). Moral of the story: if you want the best beer, hang out with brewers!