Food pairing
Beer with smoked food
Anything cooked over wood smoke — the smoke is the dominant flavour.
Smoke coats everything it touches and lingers on the palate longer than most flavours.
Smoke on both sides is the obvious move and not always the right one — doing it every time buries the food. Roast malt echoes the smoke without competing, which is usually the better answer.
Smoked food 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 smoke.
What to drink
American porter — outstanding
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
American stout — outstanding
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Rauchbier — outstanding
Smoke in the beer meets smoke on the plate — the same family of compounds on both sides.
Bock — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Czech dark lager — outstanding
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Old ale — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
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: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Bière de Garde — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free pale lager — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Gose — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Dark mild — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.