Food pairing
Beer with caramel desserts
Burnt-sugar sweetness with a faintly bitter edge and often salt.
Burnt sugar is bitter as well as sweet, which is the thing that makes caramel pair better than plain sugar does.
Dark caramel malt in the beer is chemically close to what is on the plate. The requirement is still that the beer is sweet enough not to be flattened.
Caramel desserts 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
Pastry stout — outstanding
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Sweet stout — outstanding
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Eisbock — strong
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
London brown ale — strong
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Belgian dark strong ale — strong
Brisk carbonation lifts residue off the palate between bites.
Doppelbock — strong
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Weizenbock — strong
Brisk carbonation lifts residue off the palate between bites.
English barley wine — strong
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
What not to drink
- Lichtenhainer — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.
- Bock — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.
- Best bitter — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.