I love it when breweries supply food pairings for their beers. The folks at Heavy Seas beers have a wonderful website that explains their beers and provides some interesting beer pairings. This saves me a lot of calories in experimenting and sometimes they come up with something totally unexpected like bread pudding.

Pairing Suggesting: Bread Pudding

The subtle malt sweetness resonates with the sweetness of the bread pudding that creates a base layer that bridges the gap between the contrasting flavors.  The earthy/spicy noble hop flavors resonate with the spices int he bread pudding and strengthen that base layer. The sweet flavors in the bread pudding and the beer's bitterness naturally counteract each other before either can become too pronounced. 

If appetizers are more your style then pair this beer with any 
English-style cheese: Cheddar, Gloucester, Stilton, Red Dragon, etc.

I have been humbled by the response from some of these breweries to my beer pairing requests.  Hinterland Brewery, went above and beyond the request and provided 12 different pairings for their beers!  Below you will find their pairing suggestions for Pale Ale.

Pairing: sweet potato fries with curry aioli

First of all this is a great contrasting pairing in itself. The sweet starch flavors of the fries balance the spicy aioli sauce and vice versa. Each keeping the other from becoming too pronounced.  

Paired with the Pale Ale, the sweet malt backbone resonates with the sweet potato fries. The sweet malt backbone also tamps down the spices in the curry aioli and prevents them from becoming too pronounced. If you are looking to accentuate the spices in the aioli sauce then I suggest pairing this dish with Hinterland's IPA.

The folks at Great Divide Brewing Company provided a couple "official" beer pairings for your enjoyment.  I love delicate and complex food pairings but I also love the basics: burgers and pizza.  And, Denver Pale Ale (DPA) is the perfect pairing with burgers.  Its medium body, clean malt profile, and assertive bitterness help cleanse the palate of all the burger's goodness!

I found this burger recipe and I think it would be just the thing to pair with the DPA.  Good ole fashioned beef, a nod to the nearby cattle ranches, topped with pepper jack cheese and jalepenos.  Perfect.

Click the burger picture or logo below to get the recipe for this delicious burger.  

Click here for a great 4 minute video.

What is a Pale Ale?
  There are two categories of pale ales: American and English. Both pale ales are light to medium bodied, generally clear, and light yellow to light copper in color.  Both styles are brewed to be refreshing and easy drinking beers.

English Pale Ales, also known as bitters, generally have very little hop aroma. The malt in these beers produces a slight caramel or toasty flavor, yet are not overly sweet.  Bitters are fairly low in alcohol; stylistically they range from 3.2 to 3.8% ABV.  These beers have a low to moderate bitterness that can be earthy or spicy depending on the type of hops used.  The traditional yeast used in these beers gives them a slight fruity ester.  An ester is an aroma that can almost be tasted. Carbonation for English pale ales can range from low to medium depending on the serving method. 

American Pale Ales (APA’s) are more aggressive than their English counterparts. They typically have a moderate to strong hop aroma that can range from grapefruit to pine and are accentuated even more by APA’s moderate to high carbonation.  APA’s moderate bitterness is balanced by the malt although the malt flavor won’t be as pronounced as in English pale ales. The most commonly used yeasts in APA’s produce little or no fruity esters. These beers are generally crystal clear unless hops are added during the bottling process. This hopping technique is called dry hopping and can cause a slight haze in the beer and it will increase the hop aroma but not the overall bitterness of the beer.

Complementary Pairings
  Complementary pairings occur when the food and the beer mix together and create a harmonious flavor profile that didn’t exist when the food and beer were consumed separately.  Pairing foods such as smoky cheeses or grilled meats with a bitter are complimentary because the toasty and sometimes nutty flavors of the malt mimic the flavors found in these foods.  The fruity esters of a bitter also pair well with sharp cheeses like cheddar or specialty cheeses that contain fruit or nuts. APAs can also complement fruity or sharp cheeses but it depends on the hops used.  Some hops have citrusy aromas and flavors that can draw out the fruit flavors found in these types cheeses.

Contrasting Pairings
  Contrasting pairings occur when the food and beer mix together and accentuate or diminish a particular flavor profile.  APA’s work well in contrasting pairings because their hop levels naturally counteract the sweetness.  If you like spicy foods, then pair an APA with hot salsas or curries because their elevated hop levels and alcohol content will accentuate the spicy ingredients.  Conversely, if you are looking to bring down the heat a little, try the milder English pale ale because its pronounced malt profile will absorb some of the heat. APA’s pair well with fried foods or grilled meat because their elevated carbonation levels, alcohol content and citrusy flavors cleanse the palate.

The Wild Card
  Carbonation is the wild card component in any pale ale pairing because it directly impacts the beer’s presentation, aromatics and perceived bitterness.   Moderate to high carbonation levels will produce a sparkly beer with a thick aromatic head.  Higher carbonation levels drive out more hop and malt aromatics from the beer, providing another layer of complexity to your pairing. Carbonation also helps to remove residual oils and flavors from your palate. Conversely, beers with lower carbonation levels allow flavors to linger, which can build up over the course of a meal.

Rule of Thumb
  Pale ales (both American and English) are the workhorses of food pairings, as they go well with just about any food.  When planning your next pairing be sure to explore all the possible flavor components of the meal and pick one component that you want to accentuate.  Pick a pale ale that will do want you want, whether it is cleanse your palate, build a different flavor profile altogether or accentuate the spices of your meal.

Cheese isn’t just for wine, anymore.
  Now it’s time to start drinking! Err, I mean start exploring the wonderful world of pale ales. I suggest keeping it simple and begin with beer and cheese pairings. Choose two or three beers from each category and do the same with the cheeses.  Take small bites and let the cheese “melt” over your entire tongue, in a word SAVOR. Follow each bite with a small drink of beer and be sure to savor the beer as well. Take tasting notes along the way to record your experience.  These notes will ensure that you can reproduce your favorite pairings again.   Be careful not to overindulge, you’ll want to be able to read your hand writing in the morning. 

Now start enjoying the finer things in life and make them even better with beer. Cheers!

Cheese Suggestions

Earthy Cheeses: Gouda, Fontina
Nutty Cheeses: Munster, Colby
Tangy Cheeses: Goat, Feta

Topics: Food Pairing, Beer Pairing, Cheese Pairing, Beer and Food, Beer and Cheese