BBQ and Beer Pairing Guide: Elevating Your Grilling Experience
The sound of a can being cracked open or the crack of a cap being popped off the top of an ice-cold bottle is just as familiar at a BBQ as the sizzle of a searing steak on the BBQ grill. Everyone knows that BBQ and beer work together, but have you ever considered taking that natural pairing to the next level?
Beer and food pairing has already been done, but pairing your backyard BBQ dishes with the perfect beer is now becoming popular for the ultimate backyard dining experience. How can you take the smoky flavours of the BBQ and mix them with the thirst-quenching delight of beer to send your guest’s taste buds into a frenzy?
Why Beer and BBQ Make the Perfect Dining Experience
It can help to know why beer and BBQ go so well together. The simplified version of why you and all your guests find beer so delightful at a BBQ is that the process of caramelisation on the meat from the grill is similar to the malting of barley while making beer. They naturally go well together, making beers the perfect beverage for your backyard feast.
What Makes a Perfect Beer Pairing?
One of the simplest ways to match a beer to your BBQ is to complement the flavours of your food with the beer. That means rich food with rich beers like stouts or porters and light foods such as salads and fish with light beers like ales and wheat beers.
Beer Styles and Their Perfect Match
American Pale Ale: The classic pairing for a pale ale is with a beautifully grilled, perfectly seasoned chicken. Whether whole or half, breast or thigh, your grilled chicken can be catapulted into greatness with the right pale ale.
German Lager: Lagers of all types, including German lagers, are well known to pair beautifully with burgers. Burgers can vary in flavour but are all quite rich and are nicely balanced by a lager. Lagers work well to cleanse the palate between bites, creating the enjoyable problem of deciding whether to enjoy a burger next or wash it down with a sip of beer.
Smoked Porter: The most obvious and delicious pairing for porter is smoked ribs. The robust flavour of the ribs can stand up to the porter's intensity, making them a match made in heaven.
Amber Ale: Pulled pork is sweet and rich and works beautifully with an amber ale, perhaps making the perfect pairing. The caramel notes in the amber ale are complemented by the sugars in the BBQ sauce, creating a dish/ beverage combination that your guests will fondly remember.
Wheat Beer: Seafood of all types (particularly prawns and fish) is wonderfully matched with wheat beers, which are typically citrusy and light. Wheat beers are also well matched to grilled vegetables, making a wheat beer a double threat at your next BBQ party.
Beer and BBQ Pairing: Exactly What Your Next BBQ Needs
Don’t let another BBQ pass without making the most of each bite and sip. Make beer, everyone's favourite BBQ beverage, a part of the meal. Take your BBQs to the next level with BBQ and beer pairings.