Food pairing
Beer with black pudding
A blood sausage with oatmeal and warm spice, intensely savoury and mineral.
Blood, oatmeal and warm spice, fried until crisp at the edges. Intensely savoury and mineral in a way that is closer to offal than to sausage.
The iron-like quality is the thing to pair with. Dry roast meets it on shared ground, which is the same mechanism that makes oysters and stout work.
Black pudding 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 umami.
What to drink
Dry stout — excellent pairing
Both are iron-forward and mineral. The stout's dry roast meets the pudding's blood and oatmeal character on shared ground rather than by contrast.
Munich Dunkel — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
American brown ale — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
American porter — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Bière de Garde — outstanding
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Czech dark lager — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Dubbel — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Belgian table beer — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Lambic — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Milkshake IPA — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.