Food pairing
Beer with beef ribs
Slow-smoked over hours until the fat renders — the heaviest and smokiest thing on a barbecue.
Beef ribs are the heaviest thing on a barbecue: hours of smoke, fat rendered until the meat gives way, and a bark of salt and char on the outside. Every attribute that matters for pairing is at or near its maximum at once, which rules out most of the catalogue immediately.
Roast malt is the mechanism. It echoes the char and the smoke without trying to outshout them, and an American porter has the body to sit beside the meat and the bitterness to handle rendered fat. Meeting smoke with smoke is possible and worth doing once, but it competes rather than supports, and it stops being interesting halfway down the glass.
Beef ribs 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 smoke.
What to drink
American porter — excellent pairing
Roast malt meets smoke and bark directly, while the bitterness handles several hours' worth of rendered fat.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Foreign extra stout — strong
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Belgian dark strong ale — strong
Malt sweetness rounds off the salt rather than compounding it.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Lichtenhainer — strong
Smoke in the beer meets smoke on the plate — the same family of compounds on both sides.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Grodziskie — good
Smoke in the beer meets smoke on the plate — the same family of compounds on both sides.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Munich Dunkel — good
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 barley wine — good
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.
Doppelbock — good
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
- American brown ale — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- British golden ale — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Czech dark lager — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.