Food pairing
Beer with venison
Lean, deeply flavoured game meat, usually served with something sweet and fruity.
Venison is lean and very deeply flavoured, which is an unusual pairing shape — almost no fat to cut, but a savoury intensity that will flatten a delicate beer. It is usually served with something sweet and fruity, and that accompaniment matters as much as the meat.
Dark fruit character in the beer is what bridges the two. A porter or a fruity dark ale meets the gaminess with roast depth and echoes the sweetness on the plate. Bitterness has little to do here, because there is no surface fat for it to cut.
Venison 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 umami.
What to drink
Tropical stout — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
American porter — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
American brown ale — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Bière de Garde — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Czech dark lager — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Bock — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Weizenbock — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free wheat beer — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Alcohol-free stout — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Lambic — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.