Does Beer Pair With Vegetarian Food?

Does Beer Pair With Veggie-Food?

You Bet It Does!

Think of American craft beer and food pairing and what comes to mind….let me guess?  Burgers, ribs, sausages and steak?  With vegan and vegetarianism on the rise, it’s time to cast aside those meaty overlords and look at how American craft beer can transform vegetables and vegetarian cuisine!

Beer’s flavour spectrum contains a myriad of possibilities that make it the perfect partner for plant-based and veggie dishes.  When experimenting with your own ideas remember the golden rule of matching the intensity of the beer (derived from acidity, alcohol, bitterness, carbonation and residual sugars) with the intensity of the food (acidity, bitterness, cooking methods, fat and mouthfeel).  Decide whether to create your dish first then chose a beer or base your dish around the beer you want to drink.   You can do either. 

Remember you can’t change the beer as it is already brewed but you can change the other elements of your pairing.  Remember that:
hop bitterness is balanced by the addition of fat, and hops can also enhance spicy notes, roasted malt notes are matched by sweetness, sweet malt notes calm spicy notes and some malt flavours work well with acidity carbonation is intensified by increasing the umami of a dish carbonation also scrubs the palate clean alcohol is balanced on the palate by both sweetness and fat.

Try these pairing ideas:
Vegetables and salads, especially those with a sharp vinaigrette dressing – Belgian Wit with its high level of carbonation and fruity esters will complement the bitterness of green leafy vegetables and acidic fruits like tomato perfectly e.g; https://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/beer/country/usa/port-city-optimal-wit

Lentils, pulses, nuts and seeds – the nutty, earthy flavours and creamy mouthfeel of this food group pair with a clean, crisp, well-carbonated pilsner  e.g;
 https://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/beer/country/usa/hardywood-pils

Veggie burgers, mushrooms,  curry, chilli – may contain intense flavours suitable for pairing with an equally spicy or peppery saison such as https://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/beer/country/usa/foolproof-la-ferme-urbaine

Pizza, pasta, risotto – chose a beer that will stand up to the flavours in your dish without overpowering them.  The fruity, juicy, bold hop notes of the classic American pale ale https://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/beer/country/usa/sierra-nevada-pale-ale will cut through any fat content and the bitterness will scrub your palate clean.

Sweet n sour, Chinese style foods, Thai food  – contrast the sweetness in these foods with a fruity, hop-forward IPA that contains just the right amount of bitterness such as https://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/beer/country/usa/firestone-walker-mind-haze-ipa

Cheese – lighter beer styles go with mild cheese such as goats cheese or brie while big, bold beers go with strong cheese such as stilton and extra mature cheddar,  However, the light bitterness and sweet fruity notes of a Belgian-style golden ale such as: https://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/beer/country/usa/spencer-trappist-ale is a heavenly match for most cheeses.

Desserts – sour beers work well against very sweet desserts by providing contrast but for a complimentary match try https://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/beer/country/usa/tailgate-beer-peanut-butter-milk-stout especially if using chocolate, nuts, coffee or coconut in your recipe.

There are endless possibilities for pairing American craft beer with food and we have a wide range in stock, choose from  Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Foolproof Brewing Co., Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Odell Brewing Co., Port City Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Spencer Brewery and Tailgate Brewery

More information on www.craftbeer.com