Food pairing
Beer with ramen
Noodles in a long-simmered savoury broth — salt and umami dominate.
A rich long-simmered broth with noodles, fat and usually something salty and fermented on top. Savoury depth is the whole dish.
Umami rather than heat decides it. Malt depth meets the broth, and enough carbonation to clear the fat between mouthfuls.
Ramen 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 umami.
What to drink
Tropical stout — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
American brown ale — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
American porter — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Bière de Garde — outstanding
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Czech dark lager — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Bock — 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.
Old ale — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Weizenbock — outstanding
Malt sweetness rounds off the salt rather than compounding it.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free stout — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Alcohol-free wheat beer — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Lambic — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.