Food pairing
Beer with cornish pasty
Beef, potato, swede and onion in a folded pastry crust, with a pronounced pepper note.
Beef, potato and swede in short pastry, with a pronounced pepper note that is the traditional signature rather than an addition.
Substantial without being rich. Cutting matters more than matching, so a session bitter suits it better than anything that adds weight to a dish already dense with pastry.
Cornish pasty does not constrain the beer much: nothing clashes and nothing is clearly best. Drink what you like, or choose for the sauce, the seasoning or the sides, which will decide more than the dish itself.
What to drink
American wild ale — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Australian sparkling ale — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Belgian golden strong ale — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Belgian IPA — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Tripel — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Saison — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Cold IPA — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Flanders red ale — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Doppelbock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Baltic porter — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- English barley wine — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.