Food pairing
Beer with bacon sandwich
Cured pork in soft bread, where salt and the browned crust do everything and the bread absorbs the rest.
Bacon is cured, so salt arrives before fat does, and grilling adds a Maillard crust that is a large part of why it smells the way it does. The bread is soft and does not contrast — it soaks up the fat rather than cutting it.
Salt leading has a consistent consequence: it sharpens bitterness, so the hoppy beer that would suit fresh pork reads harsh. A malty beer with moderate carbonation is the better direction, and the browned crust gives crystal malt something to meet.
Bacon sandwich rules a lot of beer out, but several beers do the job it needs equally well. Pick between them on preference — the reasons matter more than the order. The attribute doing most of the work is salt.
What to drink
Rauchbier — outstanding
Smoke in the beer meets smoke on the plate — the same family of compounds on both sides.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
American porter — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Czech dark lager — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Dry stout — strong
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Bière de Garde — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Munich Dunkel — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
American brown ale — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
What not to drink
- Belgian table beer — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Sahti — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Lambic — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.