Food pairing
Beer with roast beef
Slow-roasted beef with the caramelised savoury depth roasting produces.
Roasted meat gives you browned crust, rendered fat and a savoury depth that wants meeting rather than cutting. The gravy usually decides the weight of the answer more than the beef does.
Malt is the mechanism. Caramelised malt and the Maillard character on the meat are the same family of compounds, so a brown ale or a bitter reads as part of the meal. Roast malt works too, and tips the balance darker than most people expect for a Sunday lunch.
Roast beef 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 umami.
What to drink
English brown ale — excellent pairing
Nutty, caramel malt picks up the caramelised crust on the meat and the gravy underneath it, without the bitterness fighting the savoury depth.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
American stout — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Black IPA — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Double IPA — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Rauchbier — strong
Smoke in the beer meets smoke on the plate — the same family of compounds on both sides.
Tropical stout — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Bière de Garde — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free pale lager — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Dark mild — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Belgian single — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.