Food pairing
Beer with jacket potato
A whole baked potato with a crisp skin, usually loaded with butter, cheese or beans, and heavy without being rich.
The potato itself is nearly neutral and very filling; what decides the plate is the topping and the butter. Baked skin adds a genuine toasted note that a boiled or mashed potato does not have.
Weight without richness is an unusual combination and it is the thing to respect. There is little fat to cut and no acidity to meet, so a heavy beer simply piles on. Something with moderate body and enough carbonation to keep the palate moving is the whole requirement.
Jacket potato 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 weight.
What to drink
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.
American stout — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Black 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.
Irish extra stout — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Rauchbier — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Bière de Garde — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free wheat beer — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Blonde ale — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- British golden ale — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.