In addition to the regular #beersuggestioneers, this series features the palate and tasting experience of Chris O'Neal, beer geek a staff writer for the VCReporter, and Bec O'Neal, beer specialist for Whole Foods Market in Oxnard, CA.
Learn more about these guest palates HERE.
Learn more about these guest palates HERE.
Calamari
Lightly fried in our ale batter & served with roasted garlic aoli & horseradish cocktail sauce
Lightly fried in our ale batter & served with roasted garlic aoli & horseradish cocktail sauce
Chris' favorite beer pairing for this appetizer is Wolf Creek's flagship IPA, Desperado. This American IPA is packed full of citrusy hops which is why Chris liked this pairing so much. He appreciated the way the hoppy citrus profile contrasted against the fried batter and seafood.
Bec's favorite calamari beer pairing is a seasonal offering from Wolf Creek called the Punkinweizen. WC's Howln' Hefeweizen is the base beer but it is brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar and pie spices. Bec appreciated how this appetizer helped to round out the beer and gave it a heavier body.
The Punkinweizen was Jason pairing pick for this appetizer, too. He liked the way the beer's malt and yeast profile resonated with the sweetness of the batter which helped the subtle calamari flavor become more apparent.
I picked Desperado as my favorite beer pairing for this appetizer because it is a fantastic example of a complex pairing. The malt profile of Desperado resonated with the batter and surprisingly, helped the calamari flavor pop while the hop profile helped to accentuate the black pepper spicing in the batter. What makes it complex is the citrus hop profile contrasted against the sweetness and along with the ABV helped to cleanse and refresh the palate.
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