Food pairing
Beer with pork scratchings
Fried pork rind, very salty and very fatty, and the archetypal British bar snack.
Rendered pork rind: extremely salty, extremely fatty and very crisp. It is a bar snack rather than a course, and it exists to make you thirsty.
That makes the pairing simple and the choice narrow. A low-strength bitter clears the fat and asks nothing in return, which is exactly the job. Anything strong or sweet fights a snack that was designed to accompany drinking rather than to be accompanied.
Pork scratchings 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
Ordinary bitter — classic pairing
The archetypal British bar pairing, and a genuinely good one: very salty rendered fat against a low-strength bitter that clears it and asks nothing.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Munich Dunkel — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Bière de Garde — 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.
Märzen — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
American porter — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
English porter — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
What not to drink
- Sahti — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Belgian table beer — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Lambic — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.