Food pairing
Beer with braised beef
Beef cooked slowly in liquid until the connective tissue has gone to gelatin, rich and soft with no crust to speak of.
Braising and grilling are opposite treatments of the same animal. A grilled steak is char and firm texture; a braise has almost no char, a great deal of gelatin, and a sauce that has absorbed everything the meat gave up.
So the pairing moves too. Char wanted roasted malt; a braise wants depth and body to match the sauce, and enough bitterness to stop the gelatin coating the palate — which is a different requirement from cutting surface fat, because there is no surface fat.
Braised beef 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
English porter — classic pairing
A braise has almost no char and a great deal of gelatin, which is a different problem from a grilled steak: nothing needs matching for char, and something needs to stop the sauce coating the palate. Porter has the depth to meet the reduction and enough roast bitterness to keep the mouth clear.
Caution: A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
Belgian dark strong ale — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Tropical stout — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Weizenbock — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Double IPA — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Bock — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Old ale — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Doppelbock — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
What not to drink
- Australian sparkling ale — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Czech premium pale lager — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- India pale lager — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.