A Wine Drinker’s Guide to Beer [Elbows on the Table]

Until this past year, my beer knowledge was limited to Natty Light kegstands on University housing porches. In years when my bank account hovered well below sea level, I enjoyed Guinness for dinner but mostly because it had lots of iron, was cheap and filled me up like eating actual food.

My gastronomical education leaned more towards wine and spirits. Being the social sort, I’m able to hold my own with the snobbiest of wine connoisseurs and the most discerning of scotch drinkers. Evenings with paramours or girlfriends naturally gravitate towards the cocktails and great bottles of wine for the table.

But then I moved to Hollywood where every other restaurant is now a gastropub. Quite simply, fried, spicy, bread-heavy, fatty food is just better matched with beer. While even the most elite of gastropubs often only carry passable wine, the most makeshift location will have a beer list that rivals a Berlin beer hall.

I make no assumptions that I know anything about beer beyond what amounts to a pre-school education, but I do know food and what flavors pair. I have tried every kind of bougie junk food with all kinds of craft brews and have fallen in love with what you can do with the two.

So, instead of being that annoying, pathetic person who drinks a glass of bad Cabernet with a burger, you can follow the simple tips below to know what pairs best with what.

There are two types of beers and a plethora of styles within them. Depending on the fermentation, a beer is either an Ale or a Lager.

Lagers: Pale lagers are the most produced and consumed style of beer in the world and for a good reason. The flavors are pretty mild allowing it to pair with anything.

Most ethnic restaurants proudly carry a few nationally beloved lagers. I have enjoyed Japanese lager (like Sapporo) with sushi, Indian lager (Taj Mahal) with curry, Korean lager (Hite) with BBQ and Vienna lager (Gold Fassl) with sausage. Lagers neutralize spicy so they are great to get with your Curry Vindaloo instead of a heavy lassi. The lightness of the ale also is a happy contrast to heavy fried food.

Ales: There is a lot more variety and spice when it comes to Ales. Ale varieties include: Hefeweizen, IPA, Pale Ale, Stout, Fruit Beers, the list goes on and on…

On the lighter side, if you are just opting for a salad and don’t want to go with a Lager or Pilsner, a Fruit Beer is a great choice. Often strawberry or blueberry, these are seasonal and have a higher alcohol content – sometimes going as high as 9% -than the average beer which runs around 4%.

IPAs are my personal favorite because to me they taste like the hoppy, delicious love child of champagne and bourbon. Sausages, burgers, crab and fried foods do really well alongside this stronger brew. Avoid spicy food though because an IPA will just intensify it.

For foods like stews and meats covered in gravy, a Dry Stout or a Porter stands up well to the heaviness of the food. I am Polish and one of my favorite winter foods is the traditional hunter’s stew, bigos. Essentially it is every kind of meat cooked to death along with mushrooms and sauerkraut. It is so heavy that you not only have to have it with beer, but it has to be a stout otherwise if feels like you are drinking water.

Belgian dubbels and tripels pair wonderfully with cheese. Wrongly paired wine can really overpower and ruin a cheese plate. In Belgium, the monks of the middle ages were world famous for their cheese and beer. In England, the popular country “ploughman’s lunch” consisted of beer, cheese and cold meat. Both are essentially farm products and just naturally go perfectly together.

In addition to being the only way to enjoy a giant pretzel, a Hefeweizen tastes great with desserts. The natural citrus flavors are brought out with any citrus or light vanilla dessert. However, for chocolate or any heavy strong desert, dark Imperial Stouts or a Sweet Stout will hold up to the weight of the decadence.

In the past year, my appreciation for beer has increased exponentially. I still gravitate towards wine at home and in finer dining of course, but when beer is appropropriate I now welcome it with open arms. The process alone is fascinating. You have so much freedom with beer. When you make wine, you have to focus on quality throughout and have patience, so much is out of your hands. With beer, the sky’s the limit, you can make it completely around the flavors and subtleties you want.

So cheers and bottoms up!

Have a favorite beer? I always want to try something new, so please post your personal favorites in the comments section below.