Food pairing
Beer with smørrebrød
Dense rye bread under cured fish, meat or egg, where the bread is a flavour rather than a base.
Danish rye is sour, dense and assertive — nothing like a sandwich loaf — and it is a substantial part of what is being tasted. The toppings are typically cured or pickled, so salt and acidity come with them.
The combination is why this is drunk with pilsner rather than with anything softer: the bread’s sourness and the toppings’ salt both want a clean, dry, well-carbonated beer, and the sourness in particular makes a malty beer read cloying.
Smørrebrød 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 salt.
What to drink
German Pils — classic pairing
Danish rye is sour and dense enough to be a flavour rather than a base, and the toppings are cured or pickled on top of that. Sourness plus salt makes a malty beer read cloying, which is why the whole region drinks pilsner with it and not something rounder.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Munich Dunkel — 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.
American brown ale — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Dubbel — outstanding
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Altbier — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Oud Bruin — outstanding
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Milkshake IPA — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- American lager — 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.