AT THE BAR
Guess What’s Coming to
Versatile beer is proving the ideal companion for dishes from
butter-poached halibut cheeks to spinach egg drop soup.
By Suzanne Hall
In a recent issue of Food & Wine, Sang
Yoon, owner/chef of Father’s Office,
Los Angeles, offered several of his best
recipes and suggested pairing each one
with a Belgian ale. To accompany his Thai
Ceviche with Coconut, for example, he
recommended Tripel Karmeliet—a creamy
and velvety, yet crisp and clean ale made
from wheat, oats and barley from Brouwerij
Bosteels in Buggenhout. He paired his
Spinach Egg Drop Soup with Saison
Dupont, a bright, snappy and yeasty brew
from the Dupont Brewery in Tourpes-
Leuze. To drink with his Braised Pork with
Shishito Peppers, he chose Rodenbach,
a sweet and sour Flemish red from the
Rodenbach Brewery in Roselare.
Why Belgian ales with Asian dishes?
Yoon told writer Emily Kaiser, “The range
of flavors in Asian cuisine is so broad.
Belgian ales have the range to match.”
Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, has selected beers for more than 600 beer dinners he has hosted at venues around the world. This dinner took place the evening of the day he first brewed Hopfen-Weisse with G. Schneider & Son at the Schneider Bierstube at their brewery in Kelheim, Germany.
G. Schneider & Son
That versatility applies to other styles
of beer, as well. Heavily roasted grains
can make a beer taste like chocolate
or coffee, making it a good match
for desserts. If the beer has a lot of
bitterness, it will stand up well to spicy
foods. Caramelized flavors in beer pair
well with steaks and roasted meats. Sour
