Do you ever secretly worry that your pilsner is big enough to handle a spicy curry or that your favourite porter can really get up close and personal with that tempting slice of dark chocolate cake?
Probably not. But if you do want some tips on what dishes go well with beers then check out this clever little website. Just choose the food you’re going to eat and the online beer sommelier will instantly generate a list of recommended beer styles for you to try.
Being an American site there’s a slight bias towards US styles but in general I thought most of the matches were spot on and some of them were more than a little intriguing.
I never knew for instance that a brown porter is game enough to lock horns with a bison burger or that a Belgium strong pale ale is the perfect partner to pan-fried octopus.
I’m off to ICA now to try and buy a bison…..
how about the perfect beer for Surströmming?
or better still, the perfect beer for christmas ham?
i’d be interested in that surströmming beer. c’mon beersweden, what would u pair surströmming with?
Tough question to start off with guys! If you’ve ever been brave enough to try Surströmming (which for all you non-Swedes is rotten herring left to ferment in a can for over 6 months) then you’ll know it has a ‘unique’ smell and flavour.
I wrote about my experience of eating this delicacy in a previous blog of mine that’s gathering dust in cyberspace here.
Best bet is to take the same advice as the Beersommelier site gives for anchovies – a pilsner or crisp lager. Fact is that rotten fish pretty much overpowers everything so you’ll be wanting a clean, light, spritzy beer to follow it in and clean things up.
As for Christmas ham Damian stayed tuned for a review of this year’s Christmas beers coming very soon!