Food pairing
Beer with tiramisu
Coffee-soaked sponge with mascarpone — sweet, creamy and lightly bitter from the coffee.
Tiramisu is sweet, but the coffee underneath is what decides the pairing. Mascarpone brings fat and softness, the sponge brings sugar, and the espresso brings a real bitterness that most desserts do not have.
That bitterness is the bridge. Imperial stout shares it — roasted barley and coffee are close relations on the palate — and carries enough sweetness of its own not to be flattened by the sugar. The rule governing all dessert pairing applies here too: the beer must be at least as sweet as the plate, or it tastes sour and thin beside it.
Tiramisu 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 sweetness.
What to drink
Imperial stout — excellent pairing
Coffee against coffee. The stout's roast is the same flavour family as the espresso in the sponge, and its residual sweetness matches the mascarpone.
Caution: Something lighter will let the food lead. This pairing works only if you want the beer to be the main event.
Pastry stout — outstanding
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Czech dark lager — outstanding
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
American brown ale — outstanding
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Eisbock — strong
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
London brown ale — strong
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
Munich Dunkel — strong
Chocolate, coffee and caramel notes in the beer are the same flavour family as the dessert, so the two read as one thing rather than two.
What not to drink
- Lichtenhainer — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.
- Belgian single — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.
- British golden ale — Sweet food makes a drier drink taste harsher than it is.