Food pairing
Beer with charcuterie
Cured and air-dried meats — concentrated salt, fat and fermented savoury depth.
Cured meat is salt and fat concentrated, usually with pepper, fennel or paprika on top. Eaten in small quantities and slowly.
Salt is the deciding attribute. Carbonation and a firm bitterness clear the fat between slices, and a little malt sweetness stops the salt accumulating.
Charcuterie 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 salt.
What to drink
Gueuze — excellent pairing
Bone-dry, sharply acidic and highly carbonated against concentrated salt and fat. Closer to serving Champagne with charcuterie than to any conventional beer pairing.
Caution: A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
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.
English porter — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free pale lager — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Grisette — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- American lager — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.