Pairing Homebrew With Food

Good morning. The Kelce brothers, who are often in the news for football prowess or being seen with Taylor Swift, are now making headlines for becoming co-owners of the Ohio based brand Garage Beer. We will know it’s for real once we start seeing Taylor promoting it…

-Brandon Copeland

Pairing Homebrew With Food

As homebrewers, beer comes first - we brew the beer we wish to drink without much thought for the food we will enjoy it with. Beer stands alone like a champ and naturally pairs with most food. However, if you're looking for a heightened culinary experience, you can put effort into pairing your homebrew with food to elicit deeper flavors.

If you don't know where to start, the American Homebrewers Association has a guide that offers a chart with common beer styles and a simple blurb about what food they pair best with. A strong principle of food pairing is to match strength with strength - an imperial stout could pair nicely with smoked meat or dark chocolate truffles where a blonde ale could match with lighter food like a salad or salmon.

Another way to get the pairing right is to add it into the cooking process. This could take the form of adding a cup of Irish stout into a shepherd’s pie. Maybe your homebrew didn’t turn out the way you wanted - then you could get creative and turn it into some beer biscuits.

Pairing alcohol with food doesn't have to be reserved to wine - in many cases, beer has significantly more complexity than a glass of wine, and can offer a sophisticated pairing to enhance a dining experience. In simpler terms, good homebrew + good food pairing = a good night. That's an equation I can get behind.

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Beer Trivia Question

🍺 What ancient civilization is credited for inventing straws specifically to drink beer?

Read to the end to find out if you're right!

Brewgr Recipe of the Week

Dans American Amber Ale

Colder, stormy weather that comes during the middle of the summer requires a beer that is a little darker, with a bit more body than your normal summer options like a pilsner or a pale ale. This has me leaning towards a clean amber ale, and that’s exactly what Dan’s Amber Ale provides.

Credit: BigDan

Poll Results: Would You Homebrew a CBD Infused Beer?

The majority of people did not favor brewing with CBD in this poll. While I’m all for innovation, and I would not judge my fellow brewer for trying this, I tend to agree - I don’t have a need for CBD in my beer. Brewers cited a desire for simplicity in their beer, a return the to Reinheitsgebot, as well as it just going against their principles.

Those in favor have either already brewed with CBD/hemp or plan to give it a shot, because why not? That’s what homebrewing is all about - pushing the realms of what’s possible (or commercially legal).

And the Answer Is...

🍺 Straws were invented by the ancient Sumerians around the 2000-3000 BC as a way to avoid sediment in their beer made of reeds or gold, depending on their social status.