Spanish dinner

[porterfiend]

Need some recommendations for beers that might go well with a Spanish dinner featuring an egg, onion and potato omlette, also chicken with garlic and sweet peppers. Like to choose something readily obtainable in the U.S. but keeping with the theme. Any opinion on using Negra Modello?

[studentofbeer]

negra modello would be fine though i personally find it an unexciting beer.

i think schneider weisse might be good with that meal, especially the omelette, though Garrett Oliver doesn't say anything about hefeweizens with chicken. similarly, an ommegang hennepin would probably be pretty good, though a bier de garde like 3 Monts would be even better, though harder to find.

i like the negra modello idea in theory though, so another thought would be a vienna lager, just one with a bit more character. or very similarly, an oktoberfest/marzen style would be good. also schwarzbier might taste good.

anyway, after thinking about it, my top choice would probably be something in the oktoberfest/marzen style. Second would be a vienna lager (like if you can get Great Lakes Elliot Ness-- I don't know much of what's available on the east coast). Third, I'd suggest the hennepin or schneider weisse, but I'm not sure about these. Finally, if you know you can get 3 Monts, I think that would taste really good.

edit: southhampton makes a biere de garde style-- never had it so i don't know if it would go well but it's supposed to be really good so that might be a thought.

[porterfiend]

That's a lot of new territory for me. I have had the Great Lakes Elliot Ness and it could work well but I haven't seen it around. An Oktoberfest style would be nice, but not at this season for the good ones. Maybe the marzen is the choice.

[studentofbeer]

marzen=oktoberfest. they are basically the same thing. i think it would probably taste good. you can find the spaten available all year round, as well as american interpretations most likely. good luck, dinner sounds great!

[steveh]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
you can find the spaten available all year round

Um, no you can't - unless it's lat year's batch (which isn't always bad). Hacker-Pschorr is the only Munich brewery making their Okto-Märzen year-round.

While dining at one of Chi's Tappas restaurants a few weeks back they had San Miguel's dark as a beer choice - wasn't bad, dark and roasty without being overpowering.

S.

[studentofbeer]

oops, i really thought the spaten marzen was year-round. apparently paulaner and hacker pschorr are.

http://www.beveragebusiness.com/bbcontent/art-arch/bryson0902.html

[steveh]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
oops, i really thought the spaten marzen was year-round. apparently paulaner and hacker pschorr are.

Not to question Mr. Bryson, because I'm sure he has more sources than I, but I'm not so sure Paulaner is even available year-round (I sure don't see it anywhere). Maybe the .5l bottles only, though BA is still calling it a seasonal.

The Paulaner web-site adds an interesting twist, with a couple extra months added to the "season," but still limited
The Paulaner Oktoberfest-Bier is festive, hearty and especially tasty and is brewed especially for the most famous public fair in the world. Each year over one million beer stein ("Mafl") of it are served at the Oktoberfest. You can get that Octoberfest feeling directly at home with this yellowy-gold seasonal speciality with the light hops taste, however only between July and October.

Notice that they're talking about the lighter, Helles-style festbier, but it's still 6.0ABV.

If nothing else, and as you'd said, there are many micro-brewed styles available too - G.B.'s Märzen quickly coming to mind.

S.