Lake Simcoe Arms: Pair your food with the right beer

You often hear about pairing wines with food, but how about pairing beers with food? Just like with wine, specific flavours of beer go best with specific foods and some food and drink experts say beer is actually a better pairing option than wine, since there are so many more flavour varieties with beer. Unlike with wine, which is made solely from grapes (although occasionally, fruits such as blueberries, raspberries and kiwis are made into wine), beer gets its flavour from sweet-tasting barley, bitter-tasting hops and heavy-tasting yeast, as well as spices, nuts, chocolate and fruits.

Generally, pairing beer with wine comes down to whether you prefer complimentary or contrasting flavours. Complimentary means that the beer and food have similar tastes (light beer with a light dish, for example). Contrasting tastes, on the other hand means that the food and beer go together in an opposites-attract manner (think of salty-sweet combinations, which often go together quite well).

Some popular beer/food recommendations are:

• Pair ales with burgers, wings, fried foods and strong cheeses.

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• Pair lagers with fish, grilled chicken or pork, light pasta dishes and spicy foods.

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• Pair pilsners with salad, seafood and spicy foods.

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• Pair porters with smoked and barbecued meats.

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• Pair stouts with roasted or smoked meats, salty foods, heavy stews and dessert.

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• Pair wheat beers with soups, salads, vegetarian dishes and sweet and fruity flavours.

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• Pair fruit-flavoured beers with salads, white meat and heavily herbed or spiced dishes.

Play around with different flavours and decide what you like best. There?s no right or wrong answer when it comes to personal taste.

The Lake Simcoe Arms is a good place to taste test different beers and dishes. Try one of their beers on tap paired with one of the British-inspired food options on their menu. Visit them online at www.lakesimcoearms.com.

Source: http://www.georginashoptalk.com/2012/fashion/pair-your-food-with-the-right-beer/

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