Food pairing
Beer with lamb
Distinctly rich and slightly gamey meat with a fat that coats the palate.
Distinctly gamey and fattier than beef, with a fat that carries a flavour of its own rather than just richness. Rosemary, mint and garlic are usually part of the problem too.
Malt depth meets it best. Where the lamb is charred, roast malt works directly; where it is slow-cooked, a maltier and rounder beer reads better than a bitter one.
Lamb 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 fat.
What to drink
American stout — strong
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Rauchbier — strong
Smoke in the beer meets smoke on the plate — the same family of compounds on both sides.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
American porter — strong
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Black IPA — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Dubbel — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Belgian IPA — 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.
Tripel — 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.
What not to drink
- Belgian table beer — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- English barley wine — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Lambic — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.