This month, we'll explore beer styles and pair them with foods that make the experience more memorable. No matter your favorite beer, there are always a few appetizers, main courses, and even desserts that will complement your choice of brews.
Cooling Temperatures need a Stout Beer
Stout beers pair very well with rich, roasted, savory foods, and snacks. They also complement, and are complemented by chocolate desserts and coffee-infused dishes. Finding the right mix can create balanced flavors for small and large meals or set up tasting experiences you'll never forget.
Keep in mind there are three styles of stouts: Dry, Milk, and Imperial. Each has a unique flavor profile that affects the pairings you create. Regardless of the style you choose, consider whether you want to complement the stout by enhancing its flavor or contrast it with food that adds complexity to the tastes you'll get throughout the evening.
Pairing Strategies
- Mirror Approach: Match the beer's flavors with similar elements in food, such as milk stouts (often brewed to have chocolate flavors) with chocolate desserts.
- Complement Approach: Pair contrasting flavors, like dry or imperial stouts with salty oysters or smoked meats, to balance richness and refresh the palate.
Entrée Pairings
- Barbecue and Grilled Meats: Briskets, burgers, pulled pork, and (my favorite) ribs are classic foods for stouts. Stouts' heavy flavors and slightly bitter notes complement smoky, charred meats such as ribs, brisket, pulled pork, or burgers. All-Beef hot dogs, grilled sausages, and teriyaki chicken skewers are also great choices.
- Coffee Enhancement: Coffee-rubbed briskets and coffee-glazed ribs pair perfectly with the coffee notes of stouts. However, the coffee-driven flavor changes expand the range of flavors you'll experience in each dish.
- A quick side note: Go easy on the sauces. If you work them into the meat while cooking, it's not a problem. Too much sauce applied afterward can mask not just the flavor of your meal, but the stout as well.
- Oysters and Seafood: A few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find that oysters pair excellently with stouts. The flavor is milder than brisket, but it works well with the roasted malt taste in most stouts. Smoked, grilled, or blackened fish and shrimp also pair well with a good stout.
Snacks and Desserts
- Cheeses: Creamy and sharp cheeses pair well with stouts. Aged cheddar, blue cheese, brie, and Gouda cheeses balance out the roasted flavors of stouts. The two that did not pair well for me were Colby and Pepper Jack. Milk stouts are a bit sweeter than most, so they pair well with the stronger flavors of Roquefort and Stilton.
- Chocolate and More: Chocolate goes with everything. For stout beers, the chocolate and coffee undertones make them a natural companion for brownies, chocolate cakes, and tortes. Imperial stouts have vanilla and bourbon notes which enhance these desserts a bit differently. All are good.
- Fruits: Cherries, figs, and plums enhance the natural sweetness in Milk stouts. Pears and peaches don't pair (pun intended) with stouts, but they go well with a shanty.
- Roasted Nuts, Vegetables and More: Roasted peanuts, cashews, and almonds are among the best for beers, but walnuts can provide a unique texture not found in other nuts. They pair well with all stouts, but walnuts (to me anyway) went better with the sweeter Milk stouts. Baby carrots, mushrooms, and many pickled vegetables add richness to Dry and Imperial stouts.
This list is just a starting point. The pairing possibilities for good beer are limited only by your imagination and taste buds. Pick a snack, an entrée, a dessert, and let's get you started on an incredible Fall season!
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