Food Pairing Lessons From The Great American Beer Festival

I had the pleasure of attending the Great American Beer Festival in Denver with around 50,000 of my closest friends this weekend. I'm generally pouring wine instead of beer, and didn't really know much about beer going in (it's foamy, golden brown and comes in cans and bottles...). But I came away from the GABF with a whole new respect for the craft beer industry and the hundreds of brewers who pour their hearts into creating amazing, diverse and outstanding beers.

The event has two sides. First of all, to most of the attendees, the GABF is an opportunity to sport a pretzel necklace, jostle for a picture with Jim Koch of Sam Adams fame and to throw back as many 1 oz. samples of the 2100 available beers as possible before testing their groove at the Silent Disco. (see picture)

To the craft and home brewers who attend, the GABF is really the Olympics of Beer, where bronze, silver and gold medals are awarded in 78 different categories of beer styles. The awards are truly amazing - 3308 beers were entered into the competition. Several categories had more than 100 entries. 

Entries are judged blind, beginning at 9:00 in the morning, and unlike wine tasting, there are no spit buckets. Judging can be contentious, as several disputes broke out in the judging room. And rather than a point system, as wine is judged, the gold medal beer is determined to be the BEST in its category. For a list of all of the medal winning brewers and beers, click here.

But the real surprise that I found at the GABF is how well beer pairs with food. I was lucky enough to attend a chef's luncheon pairing 7 different beers with a specially selected menu, where I got a lesson in beer and food pairing.

Some pairing rules:

*Beer can complement, contrast or cut the flavor of food

*Malt provides sweetness and mellows the heat in spicy food. It harmonizes with grilled, roasted and smoked foods.

*Hops bitterness cuts through fatty and rich foods.

*Carbonation prepares the palate by scrubbing the tongue.

*Match the strength of food with the strength of the beer.

*Look for harmonies, links and contrasts - India Pale Ale with Blue Cheese or Stout with Chocolate Cake.  

Some pairing highlights:

The Bruery's Hottenroth Berlinier Weisse paired with an organic green salad with macadamia nuts, peaches, jicama and white balsamic vinaigrette. The beer had a acid-y yogurt lemon taste but when matched with the vinaigrette, it nearly sang. They complemented each other beautifully.

Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter paired with three day beef cheek, mashed potatoes and baby root vegetables. The chef had marinated the beef cheek in the porter for three days and used it to create a sauce. It was rich with a coffee scented depth that I had never tasted.

Rogue Ales' Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale Gelato. The chef used the Hazelnut Brown Ale in the gelato to create a smooth, fragrant dessert that tasted of toasted nuts rather than of beer.

I also had the pleasure of seeing Chef Teddy Folkman prepare his signature dish, Hennepin Mussels. It was with this dish that he took down Bobby Flay in the Food Network Throwdown.

The recipe uses Ommegang Hennepin, a saison-style beer. A saison is an ideal beer to use in recipes. Brewed with grains of paradise, coriander, orange zest and ginger, it is full-bodied and brings a ton of exotic flavor to the party.  

Teddy Folkman's Hennepin Mussels

11/4 pound rope-grown mussels

4 tablespoons blended oil (40% EVOO, 60% canola)

1/3 cup dices smoked bacon

1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots

1/4 cup creamy blue cheese

1/3 cup Ommegang Hennepin

Juice of one lemon

1/3 cup baby spinach

Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Add in the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered out and the bacon is slightly browned. Add the shallots and mussels and toss together. Add the Hennepin and lemon juice and toss togther. When the mussels start to open, add half of the blue cheese, melting it into the broth. When the mussels are fully open, toss in the spinach. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Plate mussels and top with the rest of the blue cheese.

Serve with a crusty French baguette and a glass of Hennepin.

Comments

[Cara Lopez Lee]

I'm not usually a beer fan, but you make the pairings sound so yummy. Although I won't be drinking a stout with chocolate cake anytime soon, the idea of adding a hazelnut ale to gelato definitely piques my palate's interest. Sounds like a tasty event.

Gee, do you think there's some connection between no spit buckets and disputes in the judging room?

[Travis]

Great article... matching beers to food flavours is the reason we started our brewery. If interested in some of our creations, please check out www.fusionbrewing.com.au. www.bluebottlebeer.com.au was made to match seafood, www.fireflybeer.com.au made to match spicy foods and www.primebeer.com.au to complement red meats. Love to hear if anyone has sampled our beers and their thoughts.