Food pairing
Beer with bread and butter pudding
Custard-soaked bread baked with dried fruit until the top caramelises.
Custard-soaked bread with dried fruit, baked until the top caramelises. Sweet, soft and rich, with the burnt-sugar edge doing more work than the bread.
Dried fruit and alcohol warmth on the beer side meet the same notes in the dish. It has to be as sweet as the pudding, which puts this firmly in barley wine and strong dark ale territory.
Bread and butter 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 sweetness.
What to drink
English barley wine — excellent pairing
Dried fruit and custard against dried fruit and alcohol warmth. The beer has to be at least as sweet as the pudding, and barley wine is.
Caution: Something lighter will let the food lead. This pairing works only if you want the beer to be the main event.
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.
Sweet stout — 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.
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 stout — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.
- Lichtenhainer — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.
- Belgian single — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.