Beer and food pairing 101: Consider the three C's

"The simplest way to approach pairing beer and food? Consider the three C's: complement, contrast and cut. Complement Beer can complement food by harmonizing similar flavors, like chocolate notes in chocolate brownies with the chocolate in a dark stout. Try matching a spicy dish with a hoppy IPA, or a Rauchbier (smoked beer) or porter with barbecue. When two similar flavors combine, they're often better than the sum of the parts, leading to a more pleasurable dining experience."

"You can look at this from either direction. You can start with a beer and then decide on what food to make. Is your beer malty with caramel or toffee notes? Maybe order a thick steak. Or, if you already have your food, what are its signature flavors? If it's spicy, maybe drink a spicy beer. Contrast The second "C" is contrast."

Pairing beer with food can be guided by three principles: complement, contrast and cut. Complement involves harmonizing similar flavors, such as chocolate in brownies with chocolate notes in a dark stout, or matching spice with hoppy IPAs or smoked beers with barbecue. Pairing can start from the beer or the food by identifying dominant flavors like maltiness or spiciness. Contrast relies on opposites to balance flavors, exemplified by oysters with dry Irish stout or sweet beers with sour dishes. Bitterness, roast, carbonation and alcohol can balance richness and sweetness, while malty sweetness can offset acidity.

Read at The Mercury News