Suds and grub
1 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
Directions
SUDS AND GRUB
"A British beer aficianado gives pointers on which lager, ale or stout to sip with your favorite fare." "Matching beer with food is not an eccentric idea. We only think it's eccentric because it's something we've forgotten about." "Traditionally, beer was served with meals throughout Europe. If you look at old labels you see lots of `dinner ales'. If you read Dickens, his charcters were always having pots of ales with their dinners."
This is Michael Jackson talking. No, not that Michael Jackson. This one can't moonwalk and he doesn't wear a glove. But he knows his beer. In fact, the hirsute, rumpled Englishman is the world's leading authority on suds. Just call him the Billy Graham of beer or, more accurately, The Guru Of Grain. In addition to his books on beer, Jackson also writes knowledgeably on whiskey. His latest book is `Michael Jackson's Beer Companion' (General, $39.95) "When you try to introduce the concept of choosing beers for specfic dishes people very often say, `I like the idea but the quantity is such a problem,' says Jackson. You don't need to drink a pint with every dish. There's no reason why can't drink beer out of a wine glass. It's actually very good out of a burgundy glass. You get a good look at the color, it contains the aroma very well and it's about the right serving portion. You can have one bottle and share it with your partner." Jackson suggests you think of beers the way you think of wines, and you'll begin to understand why there are over 40 different types.
"To many people, beer is a light-bodied, golden, sparkling, medium-dry drink ++ and that's only the beer they know." "A person who looks at beer like that is a person who thinks that the only wine that exists is California Chablis." Jackson explains that in Europe it's traditional to serve a particular beer with a particular food. A stout such as Guinness with oysters, for example, is a combination that goes back to the time when stout was the dominant style of beer in Britain and oysters were 10 a penny and put on the bar as a snack. Another example: In Alsace, Switzerland and parts of southern Germany they're very fond of having great feasts of asparagus, often accompanied by scrambled eggs and ham. With this meal, says Jackson, they drink a standard lager.
"But a Belgian monk gave me the perfect match ++ a Belgian Trappest Triple. Its coriander-like flavor goes very well with asparagus. It's harder to find a wine that goes with asparagus. When matching beer with food, Jackson suggests you think wine. What wine would best go with the dish and what beer is the best correlative to that wine? Here are his suggestions.
NEW WORLD CHARDONNAY: A malty, hoppy beer like Samuel Adams Boston Ale.
BURGUNDY-STYLE CHARDONNAY: A classic European Pilsner that has the harder, drier, bitter hop characteristics of a Chablis.
CLARET (RED BORDEAUX): English pale ale NEW WORLD CANERNET SAUVIGNON: Pale ales from Washington and Oregon.
PINOT NOIR/BURGUNDY: The richer, heavier Scottish or Belgian ales.
SAUTERNES (DESSERT WINE): Some of the very strong barley wines or some of the spicy, strong Belgian beers.
OLOROSO SHERRY: Thomas Hardy ale.
MATCHING FOOD AND BEER: [some pointers from Michael Jackson] BARBECUES: Dryish porter or stout.
CHEESE: Strong, hoppy Belgian beer or barley wine.
CHICKEN & PORK: Festbier or Dortmunder DESSERTS: Double bock, Trappist ale or barley wine.
FISH (COOKED): Pilsner
FISH (RAW, PICKLED OR SMOKED): Very acidic beers such as Belgian lambics or red ales.
LAMB, BEEF AND GAME: Pale ale.
PATES AND TERRINES: A rich double bock, Trappist ale ore barley wine.
PIZZA: A Vienna-style lager.
SAUSAGES AND SMOKED MEAT: Kolsch, Altbier or Vienna-style lager.
Submitted By SAM LEFKOWITZ On 07-26-95