Food pairing
Beer with paneer
A fresh, unaged Indian cheese that does not melt, usually met in a spiced sauce or grilled on a skewer.
Paneer is acid-set and unaged, so it has milk sweetness and body but almost none of the savoury sharpness that ageing produces. That matters for pairing: it is the sauce and the spicing that a beer has to answer, not the cheese.
In a creamed spinach sauce the dish is rich and mild and wants something with enough malt to sit beside it. Grilled with spice as tikka it gains char and heat, and the answer moves towards carbonation and away from bitterness.
Paneer 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 aromatic spice.
What to drink
Belgian golden strong ale — outstanding
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 — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Tripel — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Saison — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
American wild ale — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Australian sparkling ale — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
White IPA — outstanding
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.
What not to drink
- American lager — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Doppelbock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Eisbock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.