Beer and Breakfast Food Pairing Article

Los Aangeles Times writer John Verive recently wrote a short article describing how well beer pairs with food.

In case you were wondering, here are some of his suggestions:

Here are five of my favorite beer styles to pour when I’m shirking responsible adulthood and whipping up my favorite breakfast foods for supper.

Hefeweizen

A classic breakfast/brunch beer -- especially in its native Germany -- the bready, fruity, and slightly tart flavors of the wheat beer fit right in with breakfast fare. A light hefe also works stunningly well with a rich, spicy plate of huevos rancheros. 

Stout

Stouts are another obvious choice for breakfast beers, especially those examples brewed with breakfast-friendly ingredients like oats or coffee. A flagon of Smog City’s Groundwork Coffee Porter is just about a perfect match for waffles, french toast, or a Dutch baby.

Saison

Light and lively farmhouse ales with a spicy, peppery flavor from rustic yeasts and warm fermentation temperatures are about my favorite thing to pair with a frittata (especially one with some nutty cheese and lots of mushrooms). There are few better dishes for cleaning out the odds-and-ends in your pantry/fridge than a frittata; it’s a great option to flout dinner’s conventions. Try one with a bottle of The Bruery’s Saison Rue.

Kriek 

I don’t mean the overly sweetened examples most often seen, but rather the acidic and subtly funky versions from Belgium or any of the American producers with a serious barrel program. The fruity tartness will match to the sweeter dishes or anything with berries or chocolate, or cut the richness of a savory hash. Serve the sparking, pink brew in a delicate champagne flute for maximum impact, and you’ll want to have breakfast for dinner every night.

Doppelbock

All those previous suggestions work fine when you're enjoying breakfast foods at the natural time of day, but if you’re enjoying typical morning foods at nighttime, why not take advantage with something that packs a little more alcoholic oomph? A dark, sweet, bready doppelbock is best friends to pork, and if you’ve got ham steaks, fatty pork breakfast sausages, or copious piles of bacon on your dinner plate, you can’t ask for a better match than the “liquid bread” that sustained Bavarian monks during their Lenten fasts. I recommend going with a classic import like Ayinger Celebrator, Spaten Optimator, or Salvator from Paulaner.

Food and Beer Pairing Chart - Update

I've tried a dozen times to add a beer and food pairing chart on this blog and on my other blog, but kept running into issues. Either the page won't display (here), or the page won't take the html for the table (there).

I fumed for a few months before remembering I have another site.  D'oh!

So here's a link to the food pairing chart I put together on that other site.

The Secret to Tender Beef? Beer!

神戸ビーフ, or Kobe Beef, comes from Wagyū cattle in Hyōgo Prefecture. It is known for it's marbling and tenderness, achieved through feeding the cattle beer and giving them daily massages. The yeast in beer aids digestion and helps break down the grass the cattle eat.  Kobe beef can only come from Japan, since it is a trademark of Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association.  Much like Champagne and Kölsch beer.

With its popularity, American Ranchers have been producing Kobe-style beef using the same breed of cow, and the same Japanese herding techniques. Texas T Kobe ranch in Wallis, Texas, pours beer into the hay its Wagyū cows eat, and owner Gene Terry says that they prefer it over regular hay.

And what beer do they cows consume? Saint Arnold Endeavor! The beer was out dated and was exchanged for fresh product in the stores, so Saint Arnold owner Brock Wagner donated several hundred cases of the beer to the ranch.

Several hundred outdated cases of Endeavor in Houston?!

Send some out here to the Great Texas Craft Beer Desert™, for Pete's sake! I'll drink it old, because I can't get it here! Donate it to me!

Thanksgiving Beer Pairing Articles

You still have time to fill up your beer fridge for Thanksgiving.  Here are a couple of articles to help you stock up.

When Beer Meets Bird

"As far as pairings are concerned, turkey is a relatively neutral protein," said Ted Miller, brewer at Brugge Brasserie in Broad Ripple. "A wide variety of beers work -- from a clean and crisp pilsner, to a dark and malty dopplebock, to a sweet and complex Belgian strong ale."

 Beer Pairings For a Thanksgiving Day Feast

A rule of thumb for a successful pairing is that the drink should complement the food with either a contrasting or similar flavor profile.

The challenge is that pairings work best with a singular soul mate like an artisan cheese or a lush dessert. The Thanksgiving experience is hardly a monogamous encounter, making it a challenge for any beer connoisseur. Fortunately, with the right lineup, beer can win over the ardent wine lover when the most important meal of the year is on the line. 

Beers for the Thanksgiving Table

Craft beer has graduated to the point where it should be just as acceptable to serve a bottle of fine ale to well-dressed dinner guests as a bottle of wine. You have to be choosy, though. Plopping a six of Heineken next to the bowl of cranberries isn’t going to cut it.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Mad Tavern opens In Dallas

Craft beer has hit Dallas with two Gastro Pubs. The newest is Mad Tavern at 18101 Preston Road and Frankford. Owners Sanjeeva Balachandra and Chance Harper promise more than 120 bottled beers and more than 30 on tap, a Through the Looking Glass theme, and plan to open at the end of the month.

Aud's Pinwheel Peach Cobbler with Shiner Holiday Cheer

My Great-Aunt Audrey (who raised my dad and Satan's mom's mother after she passed from breast cancer in the 40s, and is the inspiration for the name "Aud's No Scufflin' Ale") made a great peach cobbler.   I doubt she would have ever thought about adding Shiner Holiday Cheer to the recipe, though.  I thought the peach and pecan flavors in the this dunkelweiss might add something to the dish.  Aunt Aud was one of those cooks who didn't necessarily follow a recipe, so, the recipe I got from my mother, that she got from Aunt Audrey, is a little unusual:

"Approximately 6 cups of peeled and sliced peaches, or use frozen.  Mix with a cup of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

"Roll out pie crust [See?  Any modern cookbook would have made me start with a pie crust.  When Aunt Aud wrote the recipe down, she assumed you would know how to make a pie crust.] or use two prepared crusts.  place peaches on crust in a thin layer.  Roll up pie crust, keeping the peaches in place.  With a sharp knife, carefully cut into 1 - 1 1/2 inch slices and lay down in a baking dish.  Sprinkle with additional sugar, dot with butter.  Place any remaining peaches between the pinwheels.  Add water [I used Shiner Holiday Cheer.] to baking dish about half to three quarters up the side of the pan.  Bake at 350° F until golden brown and bubbly.  Serves approximately eight."

I wound up using a bottle of Holiday Cheer and about a half cup of water.  Here's the before and after:

And after:

It turned out good.  My father said it could use a little nutmeg, maybe a quarter teaspoon.  I think the baking directions should change to 375 for 45 minutes to and hour.

Beer and Hatch Chilies

Eric Braun's "What's On Tap" column in the San Antonio Express-News recently featured a rather lengthy list of beers to match the heat of Hatch Peppers.

A good Belgian-style wit or tripel would do nicely. For the former, Boulevard's Zon is a good one and widely available, and for the latter it's a good excuse to grab a sixer of Real Ale Brewing's Devil's Backbone before it's gone for the year. . .Santa Fe Brewing's Pale Ale. . .Bohemia or Negra Modelo. . .

Easier to find and also from Santa Fe Brewing, is the Chicken Killer Barley Wine. You won't want to try to cool down a burning tongue with this one that tips the scales at 10 percent alcohol.

It's a big beer, but for a Barley Wine it's not completely overpowering and could be sipped along with a nice dessert, like say, a Hatch chile brownie. Or, to really bring out the character of a barley wine and the chiles, stir some roasted peppers into a crème brulee recipe.

Follow Eric on Twitter for more good beer stories.

The next day, I ran across this article in the Dallas Observer by Jesse Hughey, and she suggested Negro Modelo, an Oktoberfest beer, or a Blegian wit.  She also offered her basic chili recipe:

Along with 5 pounds of meat (4 beef, 1 sausage), I think this batch had about a pound of fire-roasted, peeled and seeded peppers, about half a dozen roasted jalapeños, sauteed onion, tomatoes, cumin, coriander seed and garlic, plus the kicker -- an entire Hershey bar, which gives it a bit of sweetness and a sort of mole-sauce complexity. I also added the better part of an Oktoberfest to the pot.

I used to make a chili recipe from Justin Wilson that added baking chocolate.  That was pretty good, too.

Deep Fried Beer?

My beloved State of Texas is, I can safely say because I live here, sometimes a weird place. This month's imponderable is Deep Fried Beer, actually a beer filled pretzel pocket. "The beer that oozes out when you bite it, apparently, serves as a dipping sauce."

This rather puzzling concoction will be served at this year's Texas State Fair, where the corn dog was invented waaay back in 1938. It's also the home of Deep Fried Twinkies and Oreos.

Yes, we like our food deep fried.

Wine Drinkers Accepting Beer Pairings

I ran across a couple of articles of how wine lovers are beginning to embrace beer and food.

Dave McIntyre of the Washington Post has decided that beer does a good job, but he still prefers wine.

The San Clemente Wine Company has started doing beer tastings to their scheduled events.

Ale and Pretzel Soft Caramels

I'm fascinated by the combination of beer and food. And I'm not alone. On the Basin Brewers website, which I run for the club in exchange for beer*, the single most popular page is the Beer and Food Pairings page.

I am also interested in recipes that use beer as an ingredient. So when I stumbled across this recipe, I knew I would have to repost it here.

Ale and Pretzel Soft Caramels
Yield: 75+ caramels

1 12 oz. bottle of brown or pale ale, divided
2 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup light corn syrup
1 8 oz. package pretzel rods (can use pretzel sticks too)

1 roll of wax paper
Scissors

In a small saucepan bring 1 cup of ale to a simmer and cook until reduced and syrupy. This will take about 20 minutes and yield about 1 tsp. of concentrated ale flavoring. Set aside.

Butter a 13 x 9 inch pan or 2 -9x9 inch pans and set aside. Combine remaining beer and all other ingredients except ale reduction in a heavy 4-5 quart pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Butter will melt and mixture will begin to boil.

Continue to cook until candy thermometer reaches 244 degrees, this will take about 30 minutes. You can test your caramel in a bowl of ice water to check the consistency. It should form a firm ball.

When the correct temperature has been reached, stir in the ale reduction and remove from heat. Pour into prepared pan(s) and top with pretzel rods. Let cool for several hours or place in fridge until firm. Remove from pan and turn pretzel-side up on a cutting board (if refrigerated, let caramel block warm up a little for easier cutting). Cut between pretzels and then into 1" pieces. Cut wax paper into approx. 5 x 5 inch squares and wrap caramels.

NOTES: Caramels must be wrapped or they will lose their shape over time. Use silicone pans for easy removal.

So what beer recipes do you have? Post 'em in the comments, please.

Beer and Sausages

I am interested in beer pairings, and beer and sausages go together like white and rice. Here's a story about beer and sausage pairings, from which I have excepted the following:

Sausages with mild flavor and intensity: Some traditional European-style sausages like the white- to light cream-colored, veal-based weisswurst and bockwurst fit into this category, as does porky bratwurst if it contains some veal.
Bernard Steinert, a native Bavarian and longtime sausage maker for the Bay Area's Saag's Specialty Meats, says hefeweizen accompanies a traditional German breakfast of weisswurst and pretzels. Hefeweizen is typically a light, smooth, unfiltered wheat beer with citrus, spice and a barely noticeable hoppy note, though you can find some richer, hoppier versions.
Mild chicken and turkey sausage also pair nicely with lighter beers, including pale ales that aren't too hoppy. Also try classic pilsner (a light lager), which has slight hoppy bitterness that contrasts with the sausage's sweetness.
Suggestions: Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen; Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen; Schneider Weisse Hopfen Weisse; Radeberger Pilsner.

Frankfurters and hot dogs: These ballpark mainstays come in turkey and chicken as well as pork and beef versions. Condiments such as mustard, relish, onion, sauerkraut and sometimes the kitchen sink can garnish a dog, so a refreshing mug of light-bodied suds - Budweiser, anyone? - doesn't try to compete. But if you go with just bun and dog, be sure to add a squiggle of mustard, which Steinert says provides some acidity and tang to cut through the fat, as will a well-timed gulp of a light- to medium-bodied seasonal summer brew.
Suggestions: Lagunitas Pils Czech Style Pilsner; Hoegaarden Witbier; Pacifico Clara.

Sausages with medium intensity: Made with pork, or a pork and beef blend, kielbasa, bratwurst, knackwurst and sweet Italian sausage fall into this category. The meaty texture and moderate spice allows these versatile sausages to pair with a wide range of beers, including lagers and ales.
Suggestions: Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager; Kingfisher Premium Lager; Stone Ruination IPA.

Smoked sausage: Smoke adds another dimension of aroma and flavor to kielbasa, smoked bratwurst and other smoke-influenced styles. The beer in beer-containing sausages like Saag's Maerzenbier brats (made with Gordon Biersch Marzen) also adds complexity. Just as using wine in a dish helps the dish pair with wine, Marzen beer is a no-brainer match with these brats.
Weightier ale is a good choice, too. Paxton prefers a classic stout for its darker roasted malt, which he says complements the smoke.
Suggestions: Gordon Biersch Marzen Auburn Lager; Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Boont ESB; organic Eel River Brewing Porter; Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout.

Full-flavored sausage: Hearty, full-flavored duck, lamb and boar sausages call for an equally intense beer, such as a dark or double ale. The beer's greater hoppy bite cuts through the richness of the sausage, while the more darkly roasted malt provides caramel notes that play to the deeply flavored meat.
You can also try classic lambic like that from Cantillon- a dry, Belgian beer brewed with wild yeast. Its typical sourness is often offset with a sweet fruitiness from added fruit or fruit syrup. Straight lambic is a better accompaniment, but I wouldn't turn down an offer of spicy wild boar-apple sausage and apple lambic.
Suggestions: Firestone DBA Double Barrel Ale; Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA; Negra Modelo.
Sausages with chile heat: Chorizo, linguisa, North African lamb merguez and hot Italian sausage all have varying amounts of heat. Louisiana/Cajun andouille is smoked, but its assertive spiciness is the main factor.
Contrast these sausages with a crisp, light brew to cool your palate. Citrusy Belgian witbier, Belgian-style saison or an IPA (India Pale Ale) with lively floral hops and a malt backbone will help balance the spiciness, although Josh Margolis, a partner at Rosamunde Sausage Grill in San Francisco, says some of his customers enjoy a heavier sipper. Beer contains less alcohol than wine, so spiciness won't be as accentuated; some, however, will find that extremely bitter beer clashes with the chile.
Suggestions: Lagunitas Censored Rich Copper Ale; Speakeasy Big Daddy India Pale Ale; Saison Dupont Vieille Provision ale.

Austin or San Antonio Beer chef needed

My friend Debbie creates and manages festivals for several groups here in Paradise. I help out at Oktoberfest--and a couple other festivals--behind the beer bars. (I'm no fool. That's where the beer is!)

One of her newer festivals is the annual Gourmet Chili Pepper and Salsa Festival held at Wildseed Farms in July. Yesterday Debbie asked me if I knew of any Austin- or San Antonio-based chefs who specialize in cooking with beer. The only chef I know that does that is Sean Z. Paxton, The Homebrew Chef.

This is where you come in, dear reader. Do you know of a Texas chef that cooks with beer? If so, please send an email to Debbie at Creative Marketing. And make sure you tell her Jeff sent you.

I Hate Unitaskers

I admit it, I'm a fan of Alton Brown. I use The Perfect Beaker and even own one of those Salt Servers with a lid. I only cook baby back ribs to his recipe. So when I stumbled across this page, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. You can convert your beer cooler--or, in my case, mash tun--to a sous-vide cooker. Read the article. You'll see what I mean.

And now for the obligatory ad.

The Latest from California: Beer Dessert

I have had beer paired with a dessert, and I even have published a couple of Guinness Ice cream recipes and a Guinness Cupcake recipe, but making a dessert with beer and Grape-Nuts?

Is Food Writing Biased Towards Wine? Duh!

Orr Shtuhl poses this question on his Washington City Paper blog. In the post, he notices that even food writers trying to be positive about beer and food use negative terms like "wrestling", "trying to push deeper", and "wine territory". But he fails to ask the following question: Why is he surprised?

It's a good article, and I have added him to my Google Reader. You should too.

Another Food and Beer pairing Article

Denise Hoepfner, with the Lufkin Daily News, has written a good, basic food pairing guide. Check it out. My only complaint is that I don't believe Jimmy Buffett actually brews Land Shark himself.

Food and Beer Pairing Chart

For the last few weeks, I have been working on a food pairing chart. I put four different resources together on one chart. You can find it here. I maintain the website for the Basin Brewers, so I gave them the chart so they could host it.

Let me know what you think!

Fried Pickles and Peacepipe Pale Ale

A Monday afternoon snack at Fredericksburg Brewing Company.

Shiner Commemerator and Gorgonzola Sauce

The Dallas Morning News recently ran a food pairing story featuring Shiner Commemerator. Chef Brian Olenjack created Smoked Beef Tenderloin With Gorgonzola Cream Sauce inspired by Shiner's 100th anniversary beer.

"The sweetness in the blue cheese helps that beer," says Olenjack. "Gorgonzola is not as heavy as a typical blue cheese. I wanted something that was pungent without being overpowering." His sauce recipe proves that just a little gorgonzola goes a long way. But it doesn't take long to prepare; the gorgonzola cream sauce cooks in mere minutes.

If you're on a budget, do a burger riff on Olenjack's beef and blue cheese theme. Pair the beer with bacon burgers topped with blue cheese-spiked mayonnaise and caramelized onions. Chances are you'll enjoy the Shiner Commemorator with any number of beef and blue cheese combos.

Inspired by this story, I will start investigating beer and food pairings and sharing them with you.

Happy Memorial Day

Satan came for a visit and I made him help me brew a smoked American Pale Ale. On Sunday we went to the national cemetery at Fort Sam Houston so he could visit the graves of a couple of guys from his unit in Afghanistan.

While you're grilling today, consider what beer to have along with it. William Brand's What's on Tap? column made some great suggestions: With a burger, choose a brown ale. An IPA might overpower the meat. But, if you added jalapeños or made steak with a spicy rub then an IPA compliments the spice nicely. With brats, choose a nice pilsner, like Pilsner Urquel or Czechvar. Dunkelweizen also goes well with a spicy steak.

What beer are you serving on Memorial Day?