Food pairing
Beer with tacos
Grilled or braised filling with lime, coriander and chilli in a soft tortilla.
Lime, chilli and a fatty filling, usually eaten quickly and in numbers. Acidity is already on the plate, so the beer does not need to bring more.
Cold carbonation is doing most of the work here, and this is one of the honest cases where a simple pale lager is the right answer rather than a lazy one. Where the filling is heavily spiced, the same rules as any hot dish apply: sweetness helps, bitterness does not.
Tacos 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
International amber lager — classic pairing
Light caramel malt against the char on the meat, with enough carbonation and a clean finish to handle lime, coriander and chilli without competing with any of them.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Sweet stout — outstanding
Gentle sweetness and modest strength take the edge off the chilli rather than sharpening it.
Rauchbier — outstanding
Smoke in the beer meets smoke on the plate — the same family of compounds on both sides.
American porter — strong
Roasted malt echoes the charred, caramelised edge of the food, so the two reinforce each other.
Czech dark lager — 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.
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.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Grisette — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Lambic — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- American barley wine — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.