Food pairing
Beer with grilled chicken
Plainly grilled chicken, which is the same bird as fried chicken and a completely different pairing problem.
This record exists to make a point the catalogue could not otherwise make. Fried chicken is a fat-and-salt problem solved by carbonation and bitterness; grilled chicken has almost no fat, no coating and no salt crust, and what it does have is char.
Char has an obvious partner in toasted or lightly roasted malt, and the meat underneath is mild enough that a heavy beer will bury it. Same ingredient, opposite answer — which is why a pairing engine that matches on food names rather than on preparation gets this wrong.
Grilled chicken 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 char.
What to drink
Märzen — excellent pairing
Char is the flavour here, not fat — which is what separates this from fried chicken and its answer from fried chicken’s answer. Toasted malt meets the grill marks, and the beer stays light enough not to bury a mild bird.
English porter — strong
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Czech dark lager — strong
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Lichtenhainer — strong
Smoke in the beer meets smoke on the plate — the same family of compounds on both sides.
Dark mild — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Irish red ale — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Kentucky Common — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Alcohol-free stout — good
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Caution: Light food needs a beer that does not shout over it.
What not to drink
- Eisbock — 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.
- Belgian dark strong ale — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.