Although Bewery/Distillery month is coming to close here at Legacy Chillers, beer will still continue to be part of our culture and everyday life. It’s very likely there will be a selection of beer around most of our holiday gatherings and meals.
So how do you know which beer or wine is best to serve with your holiday meal?
Its actually quite simple to create a great meal with the right beverage. Beer has a lot in common with food, and a great beer paired with great food is guaranteed to brighten your holiday dinner.
Balance Your Flavors
When putting a pairing together, it’s very important to pay attention to flavors. You must make sure to balance the intensity of the flavor so that neither the flavor of the food or beer outdoes the other.
You wouldn’t want to try and pair a lite beer with a spicy dish. These flavors would be very unbalanced together. A good tip for pairing is to try and match the color of the beer with the color of the food being served.
The Three C’s
Cut, complement and contrast are also very important when pairing beer with a meal.
Cut – Cut stands for a beer’s ability to refresh your palate in between bites. Carbonation, the solvent power of alcohol, and the natural acids found in hops can all contribute and help break down the heaviness from protein or dairy which ultimately affect your taste buds.
Complement – Complement the flavor in food and beer, such as chocolate malt being used in porters, and chocolate being used in brownies. Matching certain flavors together will result in a great pairing.
Contrast – Contrast occurs when flavors clash and cause some delicious reactions. For example, the sweetness found in most pumpkin beers will match with the heat of a chili recipe. Or bitterness from salad greens like kale will pair great withfrom the sweetness that comes from a wheat beer.
Cider
What if you or your guests aren’t fans of beer? Cider can be a great substitue or alternative to a classic holiday beer. Ciders also pair very well with light appetizers, or a fruit salad. The sweetness from a good cider combined with the salty flavors of most appetizers is amazing.
Beer is such a big part of our holidays and culture. It’s good know that process chillers, such as those from Legacy Chillers are a big part of keeping beer and wine a part of our holiday traditions!
For more information on fermentation chillers visit our website at www.legacy-chillers.com