Beer and Food

[chazwicke]

I was thinking about the PBR thread and swill in general. There are some times when I have had beer that is not high on my list of good beer. It is usually when I am at an restraunt. If I am eating Viet Namese I'll drink a 33. If its Indian cuisine it would likely be Taj Mahal, Flying Horse, Kingfisher, or Harwood 2000 & 5000. Thai, Singha. Likewise its Moretti or Peroni when eating Italian food. And there are several Greek beers and Chinese beers (like Tsing Tao) when enjoying those foods. Of course Mexican food is not my favorite but Dos Equis seems to be my choice when eating it. Normally I would order very few of these beers on their own. So I have been consuming some less that stellar beers with meals however some of them really do seem to compliment the foods. Maybe my focus is on the food more I don't know. Maybe the spiciness of the foods needs a blander beer. Anyone have any thoughts? Watch out for the Harwood 5000 though. 8% and very light and drinkable.

[hops99]

Well, you did mention one beer that I'd drink on its own merit; Moretti La Rossa. It's a sweet, malty doppelbock, and a decent brew IMO. I can always tell whether or not an Italian restaurant is legit by the fact that they do or don't carry the La Rossa. Oh, and the lasagna matters too ;)

[hops99]

I've also enjoyed hoppier, not lighter, beers with spicy foods; they seem to complement each other well. Give me a big IPA with a red chile burrito, szechuan chicken, cajun anything...

[newportstorm]

Nothing wrong with Moretti La Rossa, a solid doppelbock - gotta accompany a hearty Italian dish though. And I really enjoy Negra Modelo when eating good Mexican.

And you know, a cold High Life can accompany a good 'ol American cookout anyday. Burgers, dogs, brats....the right way to live...the High Life! ;-)

Cheers!

[Brownbeard]

I think nothing goes better with my favorite meal, BBQ Chicken and potato salad, than Leinekugel's.

[steveh]

My local (new in my neighborhood, but a local chain) taquerita has Dos Equis on tap - first I've ever seen that. At $1.50 a 10 ounce mug, you can't go wrong - and their food is terrific.

If I'm out at any of my 3 favorite Italian restaurants, I'm usually trying a new wine (or two).

S.

[hopjack13]

well i eat a lot of mexican food....matter of fact im having a torta (mexican sandwich) now. growing up in socal i was raised on it almost, there are a lot of authentic mexican restaurants to be found here. how ever i don't think they make very good beer, i used to like dos equis but burned myself out on it quickly. by far i would say the best beer to come out of mexico is casta. the pale is kinda bland but the dark is just malty goodness! i've yet to try the millena. and the wheat is okay, it's closer to a german style than an american wheat. so if im at a mexica joint and can't find casta i usually have an horchata....mmmmm

[b3s]

heh, the whole concept of matching beers with food is fascinating to me...in fact, quite often i'll fret more about matching a beer with food than wine...but i follow similar guidelines for both. i try to find beers that compliment the food...either by being similar (stout with steak or shepherds pie, IPA with Thai or Indian) or pleasantly contrasting (bitter with white fish, sweeter beer with red sauce pasta or lasagna).

i, too, wind up drinking beers i normally wouldn't at restaurants...only because most restaurants serve beer for the masses :(

[skahtboi]

With Italian, it is almost always Moretti for me. With Mexican, Negro Modelo. A lot of times with Creole/Cajun Foods, I like to drink a good IPA, though for some reason I feel like I should be drinking a Dixie, considering that it is the beer of New Orleans. Steaks and roasts, I like a good dry Stout, like Guinness or for me the preferred, Murphy's Irish Stout, though I must admit that SS's Taddy Porter also accompanies a steak real well.

[hopjack13]

i've never tried the dixie's , i see it but never buy.....should I ?

[steveh]

Originally posted by hopjack13
i've never tried the dixie's , i see it but never buy.....should I ?

I haven't had Dixie in a while, probably because I found it akin to Lone Star at the time - once regional brewery making good beer, but since fallen into the bland trap. I've heard that they may have up-graded the brewery, but I don't know for sure.

If you or Skahtboi want some good brew with N'Orleans eatin', try one of the Abita beers: http://www.abita.com/ They've been historically good.

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by hopjack13
...best beer to come out of mexico is casta. the pale is kinda bland but the dark is just malty goodness! i've yet to try the millena.

I was able to secure a couple bottles of the Millennia from my beer-o-the-month club on a special order. We sampled it up at a dinner party and it was just okay... To its defense, we'd been sampling the host's wine collection before and during dinner. The Millennia was meant as a digestive, so it could have suffered from our over-worked taste buds. I have another bottle that I should try soon.

S.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by hopjack13
i've never tried the dixie's , i see it but never buy.....should I ?

I recommend trying the Taddy Porter rather than the Dixie.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by steveh
I haven't had Dixie in a while, probably because I found it akin to Lone Star at the time - once regional brewery making good beer, but since fallen into the bland trap. I've heard that they may have up-graded the brewery, but I don't know for sure.

If you or Skahtboi want some good brew with N'Orleans eatin', try one of the Abita beers: http://www.abita.com/ They've been historically good.

S.

I have eaten at the Abita Brewpub. Excellent food served with fine fresh beer. As always, the beer at its source is always better than the bottled versions. Abita Springs is a small town not too terribly far from NO.

[threecb]

Ahhhh, Turbodog!
Great with Jambalaya...

[hopjack13]

Originally posted by steveh
I was able to secure a couple bottles of the Millennia from my beer-o-the-month club on a special order. We sampled it up at a dinner party and it was just okay...

hmmm ... the milenia is rated as their best beer. we tried the morena and i liked it ,nothing to wite home about but by far it was better then dos equis , modelo or any of the other beers i have sampled that have come out of mexico.

afa albita i have tried the purple haze at a microfest....i wasn't real impressed, im not one for flavored beers. but i'll have to try some of the others.

I recommend trying the Taddy Porter rather than the Dixie.
who makes Taddy Porter ? i don't think i've heard of it?
is it avalible on the west coast?

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by hopjack13

...
who makes Taddy Porter ? i don't think i've heard of it?
is it avalible on the west coast?

Taddy Porter is brewed by Samuel Smith Brewery.

[wortchillergoal]

BEER CAN BE FOOD, BUT FOOD CAN NEVER BE BEER!

[skahtboi]

Originally posted by hopjack13
i've never tried the dixie's , i see it but never buy.....should I ?

Dixie is adequate, nothing more. It is a good beer, that for a while became less than good for whatever reason, and now seems to be recovering. It tends to work with the cuisine, though. However, a good IPA works better!

Abita is another good La. brew.

[chazwicke]

Did the beer actually get better or just the packaging? Do they still make the Blackened Voodoo?

[hopjack13]

i think i saw that, voodoo on one of the shelves , i've never heard anything about it so i passed on it . might have been the crimson...i'll have to look again.

[ron]

...there's a porkchop in every one!

Leinenkugel's Maple Nut Brown goes exceptionally well with deer roast, a juicy porterhouse or prime rib with horseradish, and roast chicken or turkey. Serve up with potatoes and rye bread or biscuits! Also, a good match for bratwursts with lots of mustard.

[hopjack13]

yeah i saw it blackened and crimson voodoo, this stuff any good?

[chazwicke]

I never thought much of the Blackened Voodoo. I thought it was more a clever packaging deal than about the beer.

[hopjack13]

well it was the packaging that scared me away from buying it.
guess i'll never know, but that doesn't bother me.....

[Bryant]

Singha flat out tastes a bit strange to me, though not in a bad way..... Anyway it is very expensive here ($12 a six) so I don't buy it often, but the Thais knew what they were doing when they made that beer. I can't even imagine drinking any other beer with that spicy Thai food than Singha. When I go to my local Thai restaurant, I always drink a couple of Singhas with my food.


For Mexican food, the Dos Equis is not bad, especially the amber if it is available.
Japanese food, I'll drink Coke or tea. Japanese beer is bland. Asahi Super Dry is serviceable if someone were to give me one, but I wouldn't pay a restaurant price for it.
I drink wine often at an Italian restaurant. Though I don't drink wine at home, it fits the food somehow.

Bryant