Food pairing
Beer with crisps
Thin fried potato — very salty and fatty, the default beer snack.
Salt and fat on a very light crisp base, eaten quickly and in quantity. They exist to make you thirsty, which mostly settles the question.
A dry, well-carbonated beer clears them and asks nothing in return. Anything strong or sweet fights a snack designed to accompany drinking.
Crisps rules a lot of beer out, but several beers do the job it needs equally well. Pick between them on preference — the reasons matter more than the order. The attribute doing most of the work is salt.
What to drink
Grisette — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Grodziskie — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Gueuze — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Berliner Weisse — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Belgian single — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Alcohol-free pale lager — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Australian sparkling ale — strong
Brisk carbonation lifts residue off the palate between bites.
Lichtenhainer — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Bock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Double IPA — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- American porter — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.