Food and Grilling This Weekend? Here Are Some Pairing Ideas

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Hard to believe, but Memorial Day is upon is.  And with the start of Summer here, it’s time to fire up the grills.  Here are some ideas on what beer to pair with that Summertime grub.

Burgers - Burgers off the grill are a staple of backyard bar-b-ques and Doggie-style Classic Pale Ale is the perfect beer to go wash down that mound of ground beef.  Doggie-stlyle’s crisp hop edge will really bring out the burger’s juiciness.  If you want to take it to the next level, pour some beer on the burger as you’re grilling it and add some cheddar cheese at the end.

Smoked Brisket - If you’re more in to smoking your meat, try our Double Dog Double Pale Ale.  At 85 IBU’s, Double Dog definitely a hop bomb, but it’s balanced enough to really accentuate that smoky flavor in the brisket.  On the side, add some cubes of Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola.

BBQ Ribs - You like ribs slathered in BBQ sauce, huh?  We recommend pairing that with Gonzo Imperial Porter.  Gonzo’s rich, malty body and intense roasted flavor will pair great with the rich rib meat and spicy/sweet BBQ sauce.  If you really want to do it right, use a Kansas City-style BBQ sauce that has more of a sweet, molasses taste profile.  Damn, that sounds good.

Salads - You gotta have some greens to complete a true Summer feast and for that we recommend In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen or our Summer Seasonal, Woody Creek White.  Both of these refreshing Wheat beers are great on those hot days.  If your salad has a little bit of a citrus kick to it, go with the Woody Creek White.  If you’re more of a Ranch/Cobb Salad type person, go with In-Heat Wheat.

Hot Dogs - You might be asking “Can you pair a beer with a Hot Dog?”  The answer is “Hell yeah you can!  Old Scratch Amber Lager’s smooth, malty goodness is a perfect compliment to foods on the salty or spicy side.  We recommend a spicy, deli mustard with kraut and onions if you are so inclined.

For more on pairing food with beer, log on to beerdinners.com.  We offer some more “adventurous” pairings on there.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day, everyone!

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