Food pairing
Beer with whitebait
Tiny fish floured and fried whole, eaten by the handful, and mostly a salt-and-crunch proposition.
Eaten whole, so there is a faint bitterness from the insides alongside the salt and the fry — which is part of the character rather than a fault, and the reason lemon is always alongside.
It functions more like a savoury snack than like a fish course, and it wants the same thing crisps do: something cold, dry and carbonated that resets the palate between handfuls. The delicacy of the fish is not really available to pair with.
Whitebait does not constrain the beer much: nothing clashes and nothing is clearly best. Drink what you like, or choose for the sauce, the seasoning or the sides, which will decide more than the dish itself.
What to drink
Dry stout — outstanding
Dry roasted bitterness against saline, savoury seafood is one of the sharpest contrasts in beer and food — the classic case being oysters with dry stout.
Berliner Weisse — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Gueuze — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
American stout — strong
Dry roasted bitterness against saline, savoury seafood is one of the sharpest contrasts in beer and food — the classic case being oysters with dry stout.
Australian sparkling ale — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Grodziskie — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Lichtenhainer — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Saison — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- New England IPA — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Sahti — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Imperial stout — Something lighter will let the food lead. This pairing works only if you want the beer to be the main event.