Beer: Ruthless Rye IPA (6.6%)
Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Style: American IPA
Serving: Pint Glass or Mug @ 45°- 50° 

General American IPA Style Description: 
Aroma: Think citrus (grapefruit), resinous pine, or even tropical fruit. There may be a slight sweetness present from the malt but the hop aromas will most likely cover up those aromas.

Appearance: Colors will vary from medium gold to a reddish copper but they will all be clear unless they have been dry hopped and then there may be a slight haze.  Because the malt used in this style has very little dark color the head will be white to off-white and should persist.

Flavor: IPA’s are all about the hops (bitterness, flavor and aroma) and so there will be medium to high amount of hop flavor and bitterness that will reflect the American hop citrus qualities (citrusy, floral, resinous, pine).  Malt flavor will be low to showcase all the hop characteristics in and an American IPA.

Mouthfeel: You can expect a medium body with a pleasing mouth puckering bitterness (think grapefruit) that helps to dry the beer out and creates a thirst quenching, refreshing beer.

Other IPA's:  Titan, Furious, Stone IPA, Two Hearted Ale

General Beer Pairing Suggestions:  
Cheese: Pepper Jack. Meat: Fish, smoked salmon. Cuisine: American, Mexican.   

I love IPA’s! They are refreshing when it is hot out and their warming alcohol keeps you warm when it is cold.  These beers pair well with many foods especially savory or sweet foods.  The bitterness and alcohol help cleanse the palate of savory foods like cheeses or fried foods and the bitterness also helps keep the sweet foods in check.  But if you want to spice things up a bit drink an IPA. The bitterness momentarily emphasizes the spice but the alcohol helps to refresh the palate just like a tortilla chip. 

Specific Beer Description: 
Ruthless Rye IPA pours a crystal clear copper with a cascade of tiny carbonation bubbles rising from the etching in the bottom of my glass.  The pillowy, off-white head has staying power with some decent lacing on the side of the glass.  Lemon peal, pine and earthy hop aromas (a mouth watering combination) ready your palate for what's to come. Ruthless Rye's crisp hop bitterness gives way to a wonderfully smooth earthy hop flavor. However, the caramel-like malt sweetness and the rye malt spiciness balance the bitterness before it can become to intense. The malts then morph, what could be an over the top aggressive, hop bitterness into a smooth and refreshing grapefruity flavor. 

My overall opinion is that you should try this beer!  Ruthless Rye doesn't have the one-sided bitterness that turns so many people away from trying other IPA's. The mix of spice and citrus hop flavors make this beer an awesome partner for salads that include bitter greens or citrus.

Specific Beer Pairing Suggestions: Frise'e, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad

This pairing works for several reasons.  First, the hop bitterness and flavor resonate in the bitter frise'e  which is tossed in a citrus balsamic vinegar.  The earthy flavors of the shallots and avocado as well as the cracked pepper resonate with the rye spiciness.  You may find it hard to tell where the salad ends and the beer starts, except for the crunchy parts:-)  

There are some contrasting components, and this is where this pairing really shines. The caramel-like sweetness helps to take the bitter edge off the frise'e while seamlessly resonating with the citrus vinaigrette and grapefruit. Last but not least, the alcohol and the carbonation help cleanse the vinaigrette and savory avocado off the palate as you swallow.  A crisp and refreshing way to cleanse the palate before your next bite.

Image courtesy of FineCooking.com
Click image to view recipe.

Beer: Avec Les Bons Voeux (9.5%)

Brewery: Brasserie Dupont

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Serving: Tulip Glass @ 45°- 50° 

General Beer Description: Whether you are drinking a traditional strength (5% ABV or lower) or a more contemporary version (6% ABV or higher) Saisons should finish dry with very little sweetness.  Saison aromas can be quite complex with a fruit and spice mixture reminiscent of barnyards. Typically their flavors will be malt balanced (leaning towards malt instead of hops) but peppery spice flavors from the yeast and the elevated carbonation levels create a beer with medium bitterness and a dry finish.

These beers pair well with all kinds of cheeses because the dry finish and elevated carbonation help to scrub the palate clean after each drink. Saisons will also pair well with salads that are tossed with spicy greens like arugula or light meats such as fish or poultry.  Spice these meats sparingly as the spices in the beer can add another layer of complexity to any dish.

General Food Pairing Suggestions: Cuisine: Salads. Cheese: Earthy or Nutty. Meat: poultry and fish.

Photo courtesy of FineCooking.com

Specific Food Pairing Suggestion: Sautéed sweet potatoes with orange-mint germolata.  

Click HERE for the FineCooking.com recipe I used to pair with this beer.  Avec Les Bons Voeux, and saisons in general, are excellent pairings with this dish.  The toasted pecans, garlic and herbs resonate with the barnyard-like aromas and yeasty spice flavors found in saisons while the pepper accentuates the dryness which increases the refreshing qualities of the beer.  But the goodness doesn’t stop there, oh no!  The orange zest adds another layer of complexity that pairs well with smooth wheat flavors (think Blue Moon with the lemon wedge) and takes the edge off the spicy yeast flavors. But the beer has the last stand as the alcohol and the elevated carbonation scrub your palate and get you ready to start this adventure all over again.

General description and suggestion:  Witbiers are one of the oldest beer styles in Europe, nearly 500 years old.  This style would have became another casualty of the lite pale lager invasion if not for the efforts of Pierre Celis who brought the beer style back from the brink with the popular Hoegaarden.  Since then witbiers have become popular in the US with many brewpubs and microbreweries because they are a pale lager substitute in brewpubs that many “Budmilloors”  drinkers can tolerate.

Witbiers should pour a pale straw color and depending on how long it has been in the bottle or how it is poured it may be quite cloudy.  A common misconception is that the yeast causes this cloudiness and while there is some yeast in suspension the majority of the cloudiness is caused by wheat starch.  These will also pour with a thick, frothy head.

Witbiers are a medium-light bodied beer with light sweetness – reminds me of a delicate honey.  The beer’s sweetness is usually balanced by spices (generally coriander but others may be used), dried bitter orange peal as well as earthy spicy flavors produced by the yeast and hops.  Did you notice the bitter orange peal?  Orange-citrus flavoring has already been added to the beer, with careful consideration to the beer’s balance I might add, so there is no reason for that orange or lemon wedge on the rim of your glass.  Unfortunately these wedges have become standard accompaniments for witbiers thanks to advertising campaigns by Shocktop and Blue Moon. In fact, if you squeeze that citrus wedge into your beer it not only knocks the beer out of balance but it also kills that beautiful head.  So be sure to order your next witbier, “NFO” or “NFL” (No “effing” Orange or Lemon)!

These light and refreshing beers can also be a tad tart which adds another layer of complexity but that also helps these beers pair well with delicate foods such as salads, poultry and fish.  The trick is to match a specific Witbier profile to your specific dish so you may have to try a few -tough research I know- to find the perfect match. Today is a two-fer because this is a nice beer to pair with several different courses.  Telegraph’s White Ale is light enough –alcohol and body- to be enjoyed with little worry of feeling bloated or intoxicated.

Specific description and suggestion:  A green butter lettuce salad with Craisins and a blue cheese crumble toped with a balsamic vinaigrette – see recipe below.  This is a natural pairing for a Witbier because it’s light flavors don’t overpower any of the salad ingredients.  Also, the slight tartness in this beer compliments the Craisins (tart and sweet) as well as the balsamic vinaigrette.  A hint of earthy spice from the yeast and hops compliment the lettuce but they also tie all the sweet and tart flavors together. The light body and cleansing action of the carbonation help refresh your palate before it can become overloaded with blue cheese.

Specific description and suggestion: Stuffed Artichokes
You can find the recipe I referenced HERE @ AllRecipes.com or use my “lighter” vegetarian recipe below.  The spices in Telegraph’s White Ale paired well with the light spicing in the veggie sausage and sautéed veggies.  The light body and effervescence of this beer helped cleanse the palate of the savory sautéed veggies and sausage.  The lemon drizzle – which isn’t optional in my opinion- in this pairing as it contrasts the honey-like sweetness and complements the subtle tartness found in this beer.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Makes 1 cup – mix all ingredients

¼ cup olive oil

¾ cup balsamic vinegar

2 to 3 table spoons (to taste) Pub Beer Pretzel Mustard Dip – Found at Somis Nut House

Stuffed Artichokes

2 medium artichokes

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

1 medium leek, minced

1 broccoli, steamed and minced

1 cauliflower, steamed and minced

1 green bell pepper, mined

1 pound veggie sausage substitute (In a tube at Von’s)

Parmesan to top

Lemon Juice – optional

Directions: Rinse artichokes well; trim stem. Cut 1 in. off the top. Snip the tip of each leaf with a kitchen shears. Brush cut edges with lemon juice. Spread artichoke open. Using a small knife, carefully cut around center choke. Scoop out and discard the fuzzy center. In a saucepan, place artichokes in a steam basket over 1 in. of boiling water. Cover; steam for 20-25 minutes or until crisp-tender. Invert on a paper towel to drain. Sauté the garlic, leek and bell pepper. In a bowl, combine the veggie sausage, minced pepper, basil, leek, broccoli, cauliflower, parsley and garlic. Make a large “sausage patty” out of the mix and heat thoroughly. Crumble “sausage” mixture and stuff the mixture into center of artichokes and between leaves. Place in an ungreased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan over the stuffed artichokes, cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until they are heated through and cheese is melted and golden brown.

Optional: Squeeze and drizzle some lemon juice to taste before serving.