Food pairing
Beer with sourdough bread
Bread leavened by a wild culture, where lactic acidity and a dark crust are the two flavours to pair.
Sourdough and beer are closer relatives than either is to most things they are served with. Both are wheat or barley fermented by a mixed population, and the tang in the crumb comes from the same lactic bacteria that sour a gose or a Berliner Weisse.
That shared origin is the pairing. A lightly tart beer bridges the crumb directly, and a malty one meets the crust, which is Maillard browning of exactly the kind that happens in a kiln. It is the plainest thing in this catalogue and one of the more instructive.
Sourdough bread 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 acidity.
What to drink
Gose — excellent pairing
Bread and beer are the same process stopped at different points, and the tang in a sourdough crumb comes from the same lactic bacteria that sour a gose. The salt in the gose then does what salted butter would.
English porter — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Czech dark lager — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Lichtenhainer — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Kentucky Common — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Munich Dunkel — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Dark mild — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Irish red ale — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Old ale — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- British strong ale — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Bock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.