Is beer the best beverage for food pairing? In my unpopular opinion, it’s the king. As a long-time sommelier and sake professional, you may be surprised I feel this way.
I’ve always taken dining and drink pairing seriously. Over my career, I tested classic pairings, paired tasting menus, and experimented with many others. When I look back on my all-time favorite food and drink combinations, many of the most spectacular were with beer.
This post will give you an overview of my favorites, plus some general guidelines. Since this is The Japanese Bar, I focus mostly on Japanese cuisine. However, some non-Japanese pairings are too good to omit and make the list, as well.
Pairing Industrial Lager and Food
Industrial lagers include beers like Sapporo, Asahi, Budweiser, Tsing Tao, and Fosters. These beers often rely on adjuncts (rice, corn) for economy and a lighter taste. Hop bitterness is low, and effervescence is relatively high.
I’m not implying there’s anything wrong with these “macro lagers,” either. They have their virtues and also pair well with some popular types of food.
Not all good pairings serve the same purpose. Industrial lagers work because they are refreshing. They can act as a palate-cleanser, especially for fried and/or oily food.
- Tempura
- Karaage (especially Kirin Ichiban, an all-malt beer)
- Pork tonkatsu
- Shio ramen
- pizza
Micro Rice Lager Food Pairings
Echigo Koshihikari Rice Lager is just a wonderful beer. So much so that it gets its own category. American craft brewers have also run with this style making “Japanese rice lagers.” Some of these are more robust but are worth exploring too.
You might think mainstream Japanese lagers like Sapporo fit into this category, but you would be mistaken. Those beers have more in common with Miller Lite than authentic rice lagers.
Any pairing that works with macro lagers will work with quality craft rice lagers.
- Sushi
- Sashimi
Pairing Wheat Beer and Food: White Ale, Hefeweizen
Some of the most unique and surprisingly good beer and food pairings are based on wheat beers. The two traditional styles are spiced Belgian wit and German Hefeweizen. Both are tart, floral, fruity, soft, and smooth with little hop bitterness.
- Wit is very good with shio ramen
- Hefe and tempura
- Fried calamari with sweet/spicy sauce
- Hefe with shellfish
- Hefe with tonkatsu
- Iwashi furai
- Sushi, especially spicy maki
- Sashimi
- Wit with fish dishes that include citrus
- Wit with salads (including with cheese, fish, chicken, etc)
- Hitachino White Ale and a mixed green salad with yuzu vinaigrette
Pils and Pilsner Food Pairings
Before there was industrial lager, there were Pils and Pilsner. Pilsner Urquell was the first pale lager, and it’s still pretty good. Germans soon followed up with similar, but less hoppy and mineral-driven, Pils.
These beers look like industrial lagers but have maltier flavors and more hop presence. This herbal, savory character harmonizes with simple foods with natural sweetness or herbal qualities.
- Pilsner and Shellfish
- Except for scallops which don’t play well with hop bitterness
- Pilsner and Fried calamari
- Very dry Pilsner with caviar
- Pilsner and mackerel
- Pilsner not very good with delicate fish or rich stew
Pairing Dark Lagers with Food
Dark lager is a broad category which mostly includes various German styles. The Japanese beer industry was initially based on German brewing, so it became a part of Japanese beer culture. The big brewers in Japan abandoned these beers, but craft brewers are bringing them back.
Popular styles in this category include dunkel, bock, Marzen, and Oktoberfest.
- Dunkel and pork
- Dunkel and yakitori
- Dunkel and nitsuke and aradaki
Black Lager / Schwarzbier Food Pairings
Black lagers result from extra-roasted malt. They aren’t often as strong as their inky color implies, with low hop bitterness.
This style was once a part of Japanese brewing culture due to its German roots. Today, Sapporo Black is one of the last mainstream Japanese black lagers. Baeren Schwarz is a craft Japanese schwarzbier of exceptional quality.
- Grilled steak
- Burgers
Red Ale and Japanese Food
Red ale is an Irish style with a malty character and relatively low hop bitterness. It fits the Japanese palate well, and so many craft brewers in Japan have embraced it. Echigo Red Ale is a fine example.
- Aradaki and nitsuke
- sukiyaki
- BBQ
- Burgers
Pairings for American-Style Pale Ale and IPA
These bitter, fruity, and (often) robust pale brews are surprisingly good with the right food. In general, look for food that is fatty or oily.
- Grilled salmon and other oily fish
- IPA with mackerel
- Pale ale and Calamari
- Karaage
- Lightly-hopped pale ale with uni
- IPA pairs with a broad range of cheeses
Porter and Stout Beer Pairings
Porter and stout are related beer styles with malty characters. Porters are often the hoppier of the two, while stout has a more roasted character.
Pair these beers with robust food, and you’ll be rewarded. One notable exception to the robust food rule is that these beers often work very well with raw oysters.
- Dry stout and oysters
- Porter and oysters
- Porter and miso ramen
- Brownies
- Imperial stout and cheesecake, flan, creme brulee, and panna cotta
- stout and chocolate dessert
- Outstanding
- Rich chocolate desserts incredible with imperial stout
- Porter and grilled meat
- Burgers, steak, ribs
- Porter and braised short ribs, gyunabe
Belgian Strong Golden Ale Food Pairings
Duvel is the flagship beer of this style, which is robust, extremely effervescent, and dry pale beer.
- Excellent with oily fish: scrubs away oil
- Grilled mackerel or sardines
- anchovies
Abbey and Trappist Ale Food Pairings
These monastic and monastic-inspired beers come in several shades, from mellow Dubbels to robust Quadrupels. The more powerful the Trappist ale, the heavier the food you should pair it with.
- Belgian dubbel and tonkatsu ramen
- herb roasted chicken
- gyunabe
- steak
Pairing Food and Barley Wine
Barley wine is a rich and powerful style of beer that originated in England. A few Japanese craft breweries make barley wine too.
Pairing barley wine and food requires especially rich cuisine.
- Sweeter styles and foie gras
- Creme brulee
Sour Beers and Food
Sour beer encompasses a number of distinct styles. But they all share a very sour finish. My all-time favorite food pairing is New York-style cheesecake and fruit lambic.
- Fruit lambic with cheesecake or vanilla ice cream