Stressing over what beer to enjoy with what food? Toss that Worry Stone! There are no strict guidelines, so order the food and brew you like, keeping in mind that heartier beers (like ales) are appropriate mates for hearty foods, and lighter-bodied brews (mild, malty lagers) are perfect partners for main dishes of more subtle-flavors.
Tongue on fire? Don’t attempt to extinguish spicy flavors using just anything iced cold and wet. Rather, coat your mouth with a malty, creamy lager served cool, not cold. Sweeter, alcoholic beers will cut the heat.
Made a few unfortunate choices? Maybe this article from your favorite Beer of the Month Club will be of value! The following are suggestions, not hard and fast rules.
Like pasta, with either red or white sauce? Order a Dortmunder or Munchener Helles!
Pork and Lamb both come to life with a hoppy pale ale.
While shellfish and salt-cured fish are ringers for porters, fresh fish is best with either a crisp pilsner or wheat beer. And you can’t go wrong with oysters and a dry stout.
Both curry-based Indian dishes and Asian cuisine are complemented by pale lagers.
If your diet includes five-alarm heat, here are a few suggested pairings: 1) Spicy buffalo wings, Oktoberfest; 2) Chili (we’re talking HOT!), bock; 3) Mexican w/lotsa hot sauce, Vienna lager; and 4) Dark wheat beer can extinguish that smoking Thai food.
Speaking of smoking, smoked beer (altbier or rauchbier) are great with most cheeses, while a German pale lager, Belgian ale or porter pair well with hearty steak dishes.
Reach for a chicken drummie or a pork chop with one hand, and grab a maibock or munchener helles with the other!
Pizza eaten at home or while dining out is even better with a Vienna lager. Got a heavy load of sausage on that slice? You could try a bock or Oktoberfest brew!
BAD WATER BREWERY
Scottsdale, AZ
Bad Water is a brand closely tied to the spirit and life-style it represents. Although a fun play on words, Bad Water is very progressive and believes in stepping outside the comfort zone. In the process, sometimes bad choices are mixed with the good, but in the end, it’s the overall experiences that drive us forward! This concept is foundational in Bad Water Brewery, always driving them to push the envelope to the limit.
Lewis Kubitz, owner, says that all Bad Water beers are unique within each beer style they release. Saison, not a well-known brew in 2012, was their first offering. They can’t be sure, but rumor has it that Bad Water’s version of Saison has helped with the re-birth of that particular beer style! This unique beer started Bad Water’s progressive brands! Old traditional meets Southwestern style in Bad Water’s Saison. With refreshingly bold flavors, it offers a distinct new age splash. In general, Saison Ale is an expression of both the utility it serves and the vast flavor profiles the style carries. Note the earthy, peppery aroma and the soft malt flavor with low bitterness and citrus spice. Medium body ends with a crisp dry finish. You gotta be brave to be Bad!
Their Western Lager, the second selection from your favorite Beer of the Month Club from Bad Water, was perfected over 18 months of R&D. It’s a western style lager that others had passed over. Bad Water changed the rules, using true vertical tank lagering methods and building a flavor profile to match their environment. Forged as the beer of the West with the finest ingredients and long aged on the frontier to perfection. This modern American Lager was brewed under classic conditioning practices and formulated to the highest of quality standards. The resulting brew has smooth body with a medium carbonation. The malty sweet aroma gives up flavors of lightly toasted caramel. Low on bitterness, high on drinkability.
Featured Beer from Bad Water Brewery:
Saison & Western Lager
www.badwaterbrewing.com
SAISON ALE — Bad Water Brewery’s Saison Ale: This is not an ordinary classic top-fermented Saison like those that were typically brewed in artisan style farmhouses, but a southwestern style that’s got upright, bold flavors. Enormously satisfying, this is what to reach for when you’re needing a break from the ordinary
LAGER — Bad Water Brewery ‘s Western Lager: A bottom-fermented brew, lagers are aged for several months at very cold temperatures, which gives them a smooth, refined, complex taste with interesting carbonation. (The word “lager” means “to store.”) Best served cold, straight from the cooler at 40-45°, with fish, pork, poultry, or cheeses.
MENDOCINO BREWERY
Saratoga Springs, NY
With flashbacks of what it was like before Prohibition robbed beer drinkers of their choices, the Mendocino Brewing Company (then called Hopland Brewery) came into being in August of 1983, the first brewpub in California. Starting out lean, it didn’t take them long to “go big,” as in December of that first year they introduced the “World’s Largest 6-Pack” — featuring 6 magnums of one of their offerings that tipped the scales at a brutal 42 pounds!
By the 1990’s, expansion and growth were necessary to keep up with demand. In 1997, Dr. Vijay Mallya, a global entrepreneur intervened, believing that, given adequate capital, Mendocino Brewing could occupy a position of strength in the industry. A second brewery just 12 miles north of the original was opened, with backing from the good doctor and his UB Group. Soon distribution was nation-wide and the scope had changed, but the dream and passion remained intact.
The addition of Olde Saratoga Brewing in New York state vaulted Mendocino into the East-Coast/West-Coast sphere. Today it is internationally renowned as a brewer of full-flavored, traditional ales, a pioneer in the American Craft Brewing Renaissance. Mendocino Brewery and your favorite Beer of the Month Club are pleased to introduce you to:
Black IPA, a particulary perfect India Pale Ale from their Seasonal Collection, it offers a totally tantalizing twist on an utterly unique style. It sports a seductive ebony hue entwined with an aroma that is bold, full of fresh floral and citrus hops, with a mischievous pinch of pine – not to mention the dark chocolate nut flavors and tangy orange nuances.
From the Legend Collection, comes their Peregrine Pilsner, a rich Czech-style pilsner brewed with malts and hops from the Saaz region. A brilliant gold, it’s full bodied with lively carbonation. With its freshness and clean crisp palate, it’s what all pilsners should be! (Check out that dry finish and the delicate floral notes at the end!)
Featured Beer from Mendocino Brewery:
Seasonal Black IPA & Peregrine Pilsner
www.mendobrew.com
INDIA PALE ALE —Mendocino’s Seasonal Black IPA: Made bitter and strong to survive the long boat trip, it was originally brewed for British soldiers in India. Generous rich roasted malts bring out devilish chocolate nutty flavors. Enjoy this warming, top-fermented black brew with seafood and all things spicy or grilled.
PILSNER — Mendocino’s Peregrine Pilsner: The most imitated beer style, Pilsner was the first commercially-made lager beer, known for its pale light golden color, clean taste, and full, round, malty flavor. This well-balanced bottom fermented beauty is a “meat and potatoes beer.” Serve with baked chicken, mild cheddar.
