Pairing craft beers. The truth is that it sounds very technical and complicated. But, did you know that in the same way that wines are paired, we can combine beer with food? And we promise you, friend beersapiens, that with the guidelines that we are going to give you you will never be wrong.
What is pairing?
Pairing is a word that is repeated a lot but sometimes sounds a bit strange. However, the definition is quite simple. Pairing is the art of pleasingly combining the textures, flavors and aromas of foods and beverages.
That is, it could be applied to any food and drink, but we want to focus on the combinations that will highlight the qualities of our craft beers.
Beer and Cheese Pairing: Not the Only Kind
This is the most typical combination when we want to combine our beers. It is not the only one, but it is one of the easiest, since due to the basic ingredients of the beers and the cheese, it is very difficult for this mixture to go wrong.
However, if what you want is to investigate and innovate, you have to know the four pairing styles on which you can base yourself when choosing the beer or the dish you are going to order.
But before moving on to the 4 styles, you have to know how to identify the main flavor of the beer you want to drink. It is also called “sensory impact”. In other words, it is the most representative “focus” or the flavor that stands out the most. And you will also have to do this with
The 4 types of pairing
Let's now turn to ways to combine those “focuses” or “sensory impacts”. There are four:
- Affinity pairing: consists of combining similar flavours, sensations and aromas to enhance the qualities of beer and food. For example, combining sweet with sweet, such as a dessert or chocolate with a Stout beer
The precaution that must be taken with this pairing is that if the flavors are too similar, and this combination is abused, you can end up getting bored...
- Marriage by contrast: consists of confronting “foci” that are initially “opposite” but are enhanced. You know, the saying that opposites attract
It can give rise to super surprising combinations that are out of the ordinary. The risk is that they may also not work. A bit like your friend's relationship with that guy she doesn't hit it off with…
A safe bet for this type of contrast is the pairing of IPA beers (with its characteristic bitterness) with the sweet taste of an egg custard.
- Combination pairing: in this combination, the characteristics of the beers complete the food, providing just what it needs to round off the bite.
The perfect example is the umami taste, which in Japanese means “pleasant and savory taste”, and is also known as the fifth taste (after salty, sweet, bitter and sour). Here we are talking about the unctuous taste in the mouth of al dente pasta or aged cheese. To complete this flavor, choose an aged beer with many nuances like these .
- Facilitating pairing: is the ideal to be able to enjoy snacks that have strong or intense flavors, and that the beer will help us to make it more “edible” And it can also be used the other way around, where characteristics of the food can help us make the beer more drinkable.
The perfect example would be sour and salty. The acid cuts through the saltiness and creates a clean feeling. For example, we recommend experiencing what it feels like in your mouth when you sip a Weissbier beer after eating a good slice of Iberian ham.
In short, if you're wondering how to pair craft beers (or put another way, which beer to choose for that meal you love), the trick is to choose one of the four basic pairing principles. And from there… the sky is the limit!!
If this topic has seemed interesting to you, and you want to learn more, we organize online and face-to-face tastings (in Murcia!). The best way to learn having fun (and drinking good beer).