"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
- Dave Barry
Pairing wine with food is a subject that never gets tired. Sommeliers and oenophiles discuss it with the kind of enthusiasm normally reserved for train spotters.
But what about beer? How does one go about trying to find the perfect sudsy match for sole florentine, or, for that matter, fish and chips?
To be sure, a minority of beer geeks can wax poetic about beer and food pairings, but the average consumer can't be bothered. Most people just want to have a beer with a meal and enjoy it without thinking too much about it.
Such is the laissez-faire culture of beer, which places a premium on casual enjoyment over detailed analysis. That said, the average beer consumer is more sophisticated now than he or she was 20 years ago. In keeping with that, expectations are on the rise as exacting consumers seek food pairings for different styles of beer.
Last week, I attended the Beer Feast at Canoe Brewpub on Swift Street. This event neatly demonstrated how several common and popular styles of beer made for delightful pairings with a range of foods:
BITTER
Pub-popular bitter is a dry, hoppy amber-coloured draft ale with a malty profile. New World takes on bitter, such as Canoe's River Rock Bitter, tend to have more aggressive hops, making it spicy and bitter enough to tackle rich and fatty meats.
The Beer Feast paired Canoe's bitter with a charcuterie plate of cured meats, house-made beer cheese, duck pâté and breads. Crisp, light and full of piney hops, underscored by caramel malt, this beer cut through the salt and fat of the cured meat and pâté, leaving the palate feeling cleansed and refreshed.
Highly quaffable, bitter can pair with a range of other foods, including mild cheeses, grilled meats and, of course, good ol' fish and chips.
LAGER
Pale gold in colour, lager is the beer equivalent of white wine in the beer world. Crisp, clean and mild in flavour, it is a good companion for delicate fare. For that reason, the Beer Feast saw Red Canoe Lager served with Fraser River sturgeon and grits cake.
Clean, fresh and lively, it paired well with this course, complementing the fish without overpowering it.
Other food pairings suitable for lager include light salad dishes, cheddar, bratwurst, and spicy cuisine, such as Mexican and Thai.
PALE ALE
Copper-coloured pale ale is a pleasant balance between malt profile and floral hops. As with bitter, New World pale ales tend to express more hop than malt, as is the case with Canoe's Siren's Song Pale Ale. The pronounced hop character of this beer, underscored by caramel malt and notes of citrus orange, gave it the bitterness necessary to tackle the feast's serving of duck confit. Taking it down a notch, pale ale is also a perfect partner for pub grub, including its ideal mate - the classic hamburger.
IPA
India Pale Ale (IPA) is a style of beer that goes to show colonialism wasn't all bad. Soldiers and expats serving in the British empire's far-flung outposts clung to the habits of home, and in no way more so than beer.
To keep beer from spoiling on long, hot voyages to India and elsewhere, brewers increased the alcohol and hop content - the result being a highly astringent beer with kick. It kept the troops happy, which explains why IPAs remain hugely popular today, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.
Ideal for hearty fare and spicy Indian dishes, Canoe's Southern Cross IPA is true to the original formula with lots of hoppy bitterness, which helped me carve through a hearty serving of braised beef short ribs and a side of mash.
STOUT
Conspicuously absent from the feast was Canoe's Let 'er Run Espresso Stout, which the brewpub will be releasing as a seasonal beer toward the end of November. Its presence on the table was sorely missed. That's because a thick, creamy stout with lots of sweet, dark malt character and rich coffee notes would have been great with the dessert course of panna cotta, brown ale chocolate cake and almond beer brittle.
Still, the wonderful thing about beer is its versatility and lack of pairing principles. The only rule is to drink what you like. With that in mind, I reached for a second glass of pale ale and washed down dessert, without judgment.
