| Only with beer can chicken taste good - a sentiment | | | | people like to drink chilli beer - a lager style beer that is |
| shared by passionate beer drinkers. Gourmet meals | | | | rich, malty and roasty. This rather hot beer is the |
| are enjoyed by many; when one thinks of the | | | | perfect match for spicy Mexican offerings such as |
| beverages served in a high class restaurant, wine | | | | burritos. I like to drink Corona beer with lime as it is the |
| comes to mind most frequently. A diner may choose a | | | | perfect match for natchos and tacos. |
| tasty liquer such as Drambuie or whiskey to enjoy with | | | | British beef and Yorkshire pudding go best with a stout |
| coffee after a fine meal. It brings to mind silk dresses, | | | | beer like Guinness. Guinness itself is like a meal in a |
| tuxedos, a night at the opera. Many traditionalists would | | | | glass. A hearty meal tastes better with a hearty beer. |
| be surprised to learn that beer is now on the fine dining | | | | A stout beer can also be paired with other heavier |
| menu. | | | | meals such as lasagne, pasta, pizza and game dishes. |
| Despite its sporty, pub-crawl, keg party reputation, beer | | | | Fish dishes demand a delicate beer mate - unless the |
| has been transformed into a chilled, foamy beverage | | | | fish is heavily battered and deep-fried. Fresh fish |
| served among the elite. It is becoming commonplace | | | | tastes best with a pilsner or a light lager. Fish and chips, |
| for hosts and hostesses to wonder what beer to | | | | British-style, can accompany a brown ale or a heavier |
| serve with the meal they will serve their guests. On | | | | lager. |
| recent observation at a restaurant, I saw the people at | | | | Chicken tastes good with almost anything and the |
| the next table peruse a list of beers, not wine. | | | | choice of beer depends on individual tastes. |
| What type of beer goes with the dishes served at | | | | Dramatic-tasting chicken dishes, such as curried or |
| dinner parties and in restaurants? There are many | | | | Thai heavily-spiced chicken can be paired with |
| different types of beer: lager, ale, pilsner, brown, bock, | | | | stronger beers like a malty amber or a dry porter. A |
| porter and stout. How do these beers pair up with | | | | roasted chicken might go well with a light lager or |
| food? There are so many types of food to choose | | | | pilsner. |
| from: Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, British, German | | | | To end a dinner, diners may want to try dark ale, |
| etc. The easy answer is to choose what you, the | | | | cream stout, Oatmeal Stout, Double Bock or Scotch |
| diner, believe to be a great taste match. Everyone's | | | | Ale. All of these beers are heavy and sweet and |
| tastes differ and there are enough choices to go | | | | would taste great with cheesecake or tortes. Imperial |
| around. For those of you who are stuck and don't | | | | Stout needs a dessert made with chocolate as it is |
| know where to begin, the following is a good place to | | | | quite bitter and heavy. |
| start. | | | | If the dessert is light and fruity, perhaps a |
| One possibility is to choose a beer that matches the | | | | fruit-flavoured lambic would go well. Lambics are |
| country of origin of the food being served. I recently | | | | wheat beers produced in Belgium and some of them |
| went out for sushi and decided to have a Japanese | | | | are flavoured with raspberry, cherry and peach. It is |
| beer with my tempura and maki. I have never tasted | | | | common sense that a fruity beer would pair well with |
| the beers from Japan before and I enjoy new | | | | a fruity dessert. |
| experiences. I chose Kirin beer, which was a light, | | | | What an amazing, unique experience it would be to |
| delicate beer ideally suited to the delicate tastes of | | | | invite friends over for a six-course meal using various |
| sushi. The Kirin website ( claims their beer has | | | | beers for each course, pairing each dish with an |
| complimented sushi for almost a century. | | | | appropriate beer. It would be the dinner party talked |
| In Mexico and south western United States, some | | | | about for years to come. |