Food pairing
Beer with fish pie
White fish and often smoked fish in a cream sauce under mashed potato — rich, gentle and lightly savoury.
White fish and often smoked fish under mashed potato in a cream sauce — rich, gentle and lightly savoury, with nothing sharp anywhere.
The cream is the problem and the fish is fragile. A firm, dry beer lifts the sauce between mouthfuls without competing with delicate white fish.
Fish pie 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 fat.
What to drink
German Pils — excellent pairing
A cream sauce coats the palate, and a firm, dry pils lifts it clear between mouthfuls without competing with delicate white fish.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
American wild ale — strong
Tartness resets the palate between mouthfuls, the way a squeeze of lemon does.
Flanders red ale — strong
Tartness resets the palate between mouthfuls, the way a squeeze of lemon does.
Belgian golden strong ale — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Tripel — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Australian sparkling ale — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Belgian IPA — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Cold IPA — 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.
- American barley wine — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Alcohol-free pale lager — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.