Monday, October 4, 2010

What a Pairing

I have been, am and will remain skeptical about beer and food pairings.  With all respect to Garret Oliver, I just have not found that many food and beer combinations that make both sides of the equation better.  But last night I discovered a great food/beer pairing.  I had Mexican mole (don't know how to put an accent over the "e") along side Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.  Mole is not rare, but not that common either.  It is a mixture of chocolate, nuts, chilies and spices cooked over hours or days.  A proper mole is complex mixture of heat, spices, nuts and sweetness.  The hoppy, dark roasted richness of Sublimely Self-Righteous was the perfect match for the mole sauce.

2 comments:

Ashton said...

How could you possibly be skeptical about beer/food pairings!? You have links to some excellent breweries and restaurants, so you obviously aren't missing out on either of these. I trust you've sat through some beer and cheese pairings that didn't tickle your fancy, but if I may suggest one of my favorite, Mikkeller's "Beer Geek Breakfast" and Rouge Et Noir's "Triple Creme Brie". Honestly, any double or triple cream brie would probably be equally delicious, but I just so happen to have a review of that pairing on my beer review blog. Let me know what you think...http://bleerbog.blogspot.com/2010/09/absolute-beercheese-must.html

Beer Rover said...

Ashton, thanks for the recommendation and good review. I have not tried either Beer Geek Breakfast or Rouge Et Noir's triple creme, but will make it a point. I am surprised the imperial stout didn't overwhelm the triple creme, as a good triple creme is almost like butter. Another excellent pairing was Pelican's Tsunami Stout and apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. I gravitate towards bigger, hoppy beers, which tend to overwhelm many foods. I am not against beer/food pairings, it is always a mealtime consideration, I just haven't found too many pairings that standout, even when I step back from the hop bombs and mix in some Belgian styles. But I am a trooper and will keep pairing beer and food.