Food pairing
Beer with banoffee pie
Banana, toffee and cream in a biscuit base — one of the sweetest desserts there is.
About as sweet as a dessert gets: toffee, banana and cream over a biscuit base, with no acidity to relieve it.
The beer has to bring its own sweetness or it will taste sour beside it, which rules out most of the catalogue. Lactose gives a sweet stout exactly that without adding sharpness.
Banoffee pie narrows the field sharply, and one answer stands clear of the rest. Most beer falls down on at least one thing this dish demands. The attribute doing most of the work is sweetness.
What to drink
Sweet stout — excellent pairing
An extremely sweet dessert needs a beer at least as sweet, and lactose gives sweet stout exactly that without adding acidity.
Belgian dark strong ale — strong
Brisk carbonation lifts residue off the palate between bites.
London brown ale — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Weizenbock — strong
Brisk carbonation lifts residue off the palate between bites.
Pastry stout — good
Enough residual sweetness to stand up to the dessert rather than being flattened by it.
Eisbock — good
Enough residual sweetness to stand up to the dessert rather than being flattened by it.
Milkshake IPA — good
Enough residual sweetness to stand up to the dessert rather than being flattened by it.
Wee heavy — good
Enough residual sweetness to stand up to the dessert rather than being flattened by it.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free pale lager — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.
- Grisette — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.
- Alcohol-free stout — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.