Beer and Dessert Pairing

Gentle readers, my apologies for not posting sooner, I've been getting over a bug that knocked me flat on my bum. But, alas, the fever and chills have subsided, and I am once again well. This past Friday was finally the night of the beer and dessert pairing!

One of the home brews we tasted on Friday

My friend had 6 beers ready for tasting, which meant I really had my work cut out for me!! The majority of his beers (descriptions are in the previous beer post) were expected to have nutty, bready, or caramel undertones. So to match these I made candied almonds and caramel pecan shortbread. I knew the candied almonds would work with any of those beers. They were not too sweet and I had toasted the almonds to give them the depth of roasting that I thought would cut through the taste of the beer. The caramel pecan shortbread I thought would work well with the beers that had bready flavor. I had hoped the caramel and roasted pecans would bring out some of the character of the beers that maybe would not have been as pronounced otherwise.

A couple of the home brews on tap

My bigger fears lay within the lighter beers which were being sampled. For these I thought chocolate covered candied oranges would complement the citrus notes in the beers and the thin layer of chocolate would contrast with the beers. I started these a month ago--I sliced oranges from my parents' tree in the backyard and let them soak in super-saturated sugar syrup for about 30 days, then dried them out and coated them with chocolate. I have made these before and I like to offer them at Christmas, so it was a treat getting to eat one in the spring!

The one that made me MOST nervous was a brew with spruce and honey. My friend mentioned that it was not expected to have a sweet finish. And the spruce, wow. I initially went to honey, pine nuts, gin? I had absolutely no clue what would complement, cut or contrast a beer with spruce. Or honey, for that matter. What did I make, you ask?? Baklava. Not just ordinary baklava. I chopped almonds and added a touch of cinnamon. I layered the delicate phyllo dough generously with butter, filled it with the almonds and cinnamon, and baked it for an hour and some change. The super-saturated sugar syrup that was used to make the oranges was used in this recipe. I boiled it down til it thickened up, then cooled it and stirred in some honey. I poured it over the freshly baked baklava and let each layer soak up the orange and honey-laced syrup.

When the bf and I arrived after walking a couple of blocks in the San Diego drizzle, desserts in hand, the group had already begun tasting. What was next? The honey and spruce beer. "Which one goes with this one??" they asked. "Baklava," was my reply. I had my reservations about this pairing, but now was as good a time as any to bring out the desserts and laissez les bons temps rouler! As I tasted the beer and then took a bite of the baklava, it was not what I expected. The reaction around the room echoed my sentiments. The small studio with over a dozen people immediately fell silent as we all relished in the flavor of the beer and the after-effects of the orange and honey dancing on the tongue, complementing this beer PERFECTLY. Everyone in the room was reveling in the beer and baklava. At the risk of sounding over-the-top and perhaps a tad cheesy, it was more than just beer and dessert. It was an experience. The pairing I was afraid of most turned out to be the best pairing of the evening.

Desserts (in the background)

We tried the rest of the beers, which went well with the nutty and sweet combinations. We chatted about work, about beer brewing, about life. We listened to music and some people danced. It was lots of fun. We didn't stay long, it had been a long day for both me and the bf. But I was very inspired by the fact that it not only was possible to pair Beer AND Sugar, that it was amazing! You can be sure that I'm ready and willing to do it again soon!!

NOTE: A quick "Thank you!" to my co-worker Mike C. for the pics.

Beer Cuisine

Yesterday at a Friday afternoon happy hour with co-workers, one of my co-workers divulged that he had a couple of batches of home brews which will be ready for tasting soon. He mentioned that he would like to have a tasting party in a few weeks. He asked me if I might be able to make some desserts which would complement his brews.

So I got to thinking, what is my favorite thing in this whole entire world--combinations!!! A firm believer in the "two heads are better than one" school of thought--everything gets better when it has a partner in crime. The added complexity and completion from the marriage of two things (keep it simple!!)--anything from color combinations (hello orange and navy blue!) that please the eye to food (mmm peanut butter and chocolate) to finding awesome desserts that pair with varying flavors of beer--an intriguing challenge. I am soooo excited!

Not being able to drink wine puts me in a difficult position--I'd like to be educated about pairing food with alcoholic beverages, but because of my allergy I cannot partake in the countless weekend courses pairing wines with cheese, chocolate, and entrees. I know there are courses out there for pairing with beer, but I think my unbiased ignorance will make it fun; I get free reign to play with flavor combinations so long as I know what to expect from the beers that my friend is making. Even then, there are no set rules for pairing, it's a "to each his own" sort of realm to experiment. So that I shall do.

After a 5 minute browsing sesh I found that pairing beer is much like selecting a diamond. Only with beer, there're only three C's, not four. :)

The 3 C's to keep in mind:
- Cut
- Complement
- Contrast

Before learning that, I just thought I'd complement the beers. Because I don't know what exactly to expect from the beers (I don't quite know what we'll be tasting yet), I am at this point hesitant to offer a dessert that the beer will cut or contrast. That being said, I know like with magnets, opposites most certainly attract, so I will keep that in mind but venture on the side of caution.

When I think of lighter beers like lagers and light ales, my mind immediately goes into brainstorm mode. I think poultry, grilled veggies, barbeque, summer, thirst-quenching. Usually simpler than most beers, they can be enjoyed in larger quantity (within responsible limits, of course) and upon further thought, maybe I do want a dessert that will contrast with a lager or light ale, should my friend happen to have us sample such a brew.

When I think of wheat beers I think of bread, citrus, coriander, spice, pumpkin, banana, fruit, vanilla even. Wheat beers are my favorite. I can drink them with most of what I eat because they're light enough to be served with seafood, chicken, veggies, and have enough going on to keep drinking it with a light dessert.

Amber ales--not as hoppy as the stronger (my less favorite) bitter India pale ales, more malty and generally more complex than it's aforementioned sisters. I think of caramels, burnt sugar perhaps, sweetness, but still with a linger of hops. I'm struggling with this one. Do I want to pair it with caramel flavors? Would it just meld in with the beer's flavor and get lost? My goal is to find a balance, one way or the other, such that neither beer nor dessert be overwhelmed by the other. Requires more thought...

Bitter ales--these probably being my least favorite of all beers, I'm not usually a huge fan of hoppy brews. They seem unfinished to my palate. But, never one to snub most food or beverage without judging them for myself (well, there may be exceptions), I shall attempt my best shot at brainstorming. Because of their strong nature, I want to find something that will stand up to the hops, without being rich in the chocolaty sense. I might have to sample a bitter ale just to get a better grasp on this one...

Porters, stouts--my second favorite. I think smoky flavors, mesquite, chocolate, creamy, oatmeal, Irish cream, strong and robust flavors that you can find underlying in the beers themselves. I also think of hearty fruits that pair well with chocolate like raspberries and blackberries. This is probably going to be the easiest class of beer to pair.


My favorite stout, sweet and delish. Perfect with any dessert.

I have not had too much exposure to Bocks, of which I sampled one with my dad, who's favorite is Celebrator's Doppelbock. If I recall correctly it was rick, dark and hoppy. I prefer the maltiness of the stouts and porters. Maybe something with bitter chocolate would pair well?

And last but certainly not least (the IPA's were farther up the list!) the lambics. Oh Lambics, how I love thee. These are special brews because they are double-fermented and usually sweet. Some can be sour and fruity as well. I think of salads with vinaigrettes and fruity desserts with vanilla. Sour lambics are a bit more challenging to pair, but the tartness of cherries (in particular) currently come to mind.

Lindeman's Framboise, possibly the most popular lambic around

Sooo many beers, so many possibilities!!