Food pairing
Beer with popcorn
Light, salty and buttery, with a toasted note from the popping.
Popcorn is light, salty and buttery, with a faint toasted note from the popping itself. There is almost nothing to it, and that is the point — volume without weight, which disappears against any beer with real presence.
A German Pils is ideal: dry, crisp and firmly bitter, so it clears the butter and stands up to the salt without adding anything the popcorn has to compete with. Heavier or sweeter beer simply covers it.
Popcorn 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 salt.
What to drink
German Pils — classic pairing
Salt and butter on a light crisp base. A dry pils clears both and asks nothing, which is why it is the default cinema pairing where beer is sold at all.
Grodziskie — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Grisette — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Gueuze — 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 single — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Berliner Weisse — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Dry 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.
Lichtenhainer — 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 barley wine — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Sahti — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Milkshake IPA — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.