Food pairing
Beer with poutine
Chips with cheese curds and gravy — the fattiest and saltiest plate in Canadian cooking.
Chips with cheese curds and gravy: the fattiest and saltiest plate in Canadian cooking, with nothing sharp to relieve it.
Citrus hop bitterness cuts through it and the carbonation clears the rest. Weight matching would simply add to the problem.
Poutine 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
Bière de Garde — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Tropical stout — 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.
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.
Czech dark lager — 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.
Bock — 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
- Dark mild — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Kettle sour — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Belgian table beer — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.