Beef & Brews: Pairing Tastes for the Ultimate Meal

Whatever kind of beef is on your lunch or dinner menu – a simple burger, the most tender steak, the juiciest prime rib, the richest stew – one of the best ways to bring out the best flavor is to pair it with an ice-cold beer. The various cuts and textures of beef can be matched with different types of beer so that neither overpowers the other. One big culinary advantage of pairing beer with any meal is that the crisp carbonation serves as a refreshing palate cleanser, allowing you to enjoy every bite. If done correctly, the pairing you choose will allow food and drink to complement each other.

Exploring Beer Varieties

What’s your preference when it comes to a good brew? Read on for suggestions on how to choose the best cut of beef to go with your beverage of choice or the right beer that will taste great with the meal you’re preparing.

Pale ales, such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Night Shift Whirlpool, are light-colored beers with just the right bold notes that pair best with a meaty sirloin. The aroma and flavor of those beers are also great for a spicy stir fry or barbeque brisket.

Beer can pair as well as wine with a fancy filet mignon. In fact, filet has subtle flavors compared to other cuts, so light lagers, such as Night Shift Nite Lite, enhance the steak’s flavor instead of overpowering it. Similarly, pilsners, which are a specific type of light lager, are ideal for a marbled New York strip steak.

Golden-colored Hefeweizen beers like Weinstephaner Hefeweizen or Paulaner Hefeweizen are an easy choice to go with lighter meals, such as a salad with steak tips.

Those popular craft IPAs, Indian pale ales, taste more bitter with floral undertones, and they are a perfect match with a good ribeye or t-bone steak. Ribeye demands a beer that can stand up to its richness, and an IPA is just the thing. A smoked brisket is a nice option as well. Try Fiddlehead IPA or Lagunitas IPA.

Brown ales are darker, as the name suggests, with more malt than hops, which make this beer variety a delicious companion for a burger or rack of ribs. Pour yourself a Smuttynose Old Brown Dog or Wormtown Blizzard of ‘78 to balance out the richness and boost the flavor of those cuts of beef.

Falling in the category of the darkest beers with caramel, chocolate, and toffee flavors, are porters and stouts. Generally speaking, the distinction between the two is that a porter, such as the robust version made by Founders Brewing Company, has more hops, while a stout – including the world-famous Guinness – is maltier. You can’t go wrong with either to pair with a slow-cooked prime rib, roast beef, or a hearty stew.

Beer-based Marinades

Cooking with beer is another option for boosting your beef’s flavor. We know that infusing beef with marinades can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Using beer adds another layer of flavor profile that can enhance the meal. Marinating with beer adds a depth of flavor to your cooking but also breaks down tough fibers in the meat, making it more tender. Experts suggest marinating for a couple of hours.

A wide selection of the beers featured in this guide, as well as many others, are available at Butcher Boy for your convenience when you’re picking up the meat for your dinner. And if you’re looking for taste without alcohol content, we offer several brands of non-alcoholic varieties, including Blue Moon Wheat Ale N/A, Athletic Brewing Company Whits Peak Belgian Ale N/A, Athletic Extra Dark (similar to a Porter), Sam Adams Just The Haze, and Guinness Stout N/A. Any of these non-alcoholic beers can be used in place of their varietal counterparts for the same meal pairings.

Experiment with combinations of beer and beef to taste how different flavors work together. We’d love to see your results – please share in the comments on Facebook or tag @ButcherBoyMarket on Instagram. Cheers!