
Golden Rules of Beer and Food Pairing

Golden Rules of Beer and Food Pairing
ALIGN
Align the intensity of the beer with the intensity of the dish.
WHICH ASPECTS OF BEER AND FOOD CONTRIBUTE TO INTENSITY?
BEER: ABV | Complexity | Hop Bitterness | Roast/Smoke | Sour/ Lactic note | Carbonation
FOOD: Richness | Complexity | Sweetness | Spice (Heat) | Cooking/Searing

BRIDGE
Create a flavor bridge by isolating a flavor note that is present in both beer and the food.
MANY FLAVORS THAT ARE PRESENT IN BEER CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN FOOD
MALT: Bread | Toast | Nut | Caramel | Toffee | Chocolate | Smoke | Coffee
HOP: Grapefruit | Orange | Passion Fruit | Mango | Mint | Chlorophyll
YEAST: Pear | Black Currant | Clove | Pepper | Smoke | Peach | Banana | Yogurt (bacteria)

CUT
Use the beer to cut through the food and create a sharp contrast.
IDENTIFY THE ASPECTS OF FOOD THAT THE FOLLOWING BEER TEXTURES AND TASTES WILL CUT THROUGH
TEXTURE: Carbonation | Alcohol | Sharpness | Rich/Full mouthfeel |
Drying mouthfeel
TASTE: Bitter taste | Sour taste
Sweet taste | Cooking/Searing
