Food pairing
Beer with schnitzel
Breaded fried meat, crisp and greasy, usually served with lemon.
Breaded and fried veal or pork with lemon — surface fat, salt and acidity, and very little richness underneath.
Crisp is the whole answer. Carbonation and a firm bitterness clear the coating, and the lemon means the beer should not bring its own sharpness.
Schnitzel 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.
Dubbel — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Tripel — 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.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
American wild ale — strong
Tartness resets the palate between mouthfuls, the way a squeeze of lemon does.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Weizenbock — strong
Malt sweetness rounds off the salt rather than compounding it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Lichtenhainer — strong
Tartness resets the palate between mouthfuls, the way a squeeze of lemon does.
Märzen — 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
- Eisbock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Wee heavy — 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.