AT THE BAR
champagne bottles with a cork to resemble
the approach used by wines,” Pauwels says.
“These brews have bold flavors that are easy
to pair with food.”
WHAT WORKS
Skokan likes to pair smoked guinea hen and
roasted shallots with an India Pale Ale (IPA).
Another favorite matchup is braised beef
with a sauce of chocolate and spices served
with a porter. “Even heavier brews like porter
have a lightness to them on the palate. They
work well with food. The brew is a palate
cleanser, even if it’s a heavier brew.”
At Recess, chef Greg Hardesty serves his double-layer chocolate fudge cake with
Black Chocolate Stout from Brooklyn Brewery.
a beef tenderloin and Brussels sprouts with
a heavier Winter Warmer seasonal brew that
had a higher alcohol content.”
up the greens or cheese or vinaigrette.
We pair it with a brew that is hoppy or an
IPA. It needs something with acidity and
backbone to cut the vinegar.”
He also pairs elk and herbed ricotta with
a stout, and grilled fish with Hefeweizen.
“That’s the spectrum, and everything else
falls in between.”
Powerhouse Restaurant & Brewery produces
seven brews—Amperage Amber, Four Alarm
Stout, India Pale Ale, Powerhouse Pale Ale,
Scottish Ale, Hefeweizen and a Belgian
White—along with three seasonal brews.
Marcus pairs a stuffed pork chop, morel
mushrooms, rhubarb/saison sauce and
local seasonal vegetables with a saison
brewed in-house. “The saison is a peppery
beer and works well with pork. I work the
beer into the demi glaze that’s poured over
the pork chop.”
Recess has a large beer menu, featuring
beers from around the world as well as
several local Indiana breweries such as
Three Floyds (Munster) and Sun King
(Indianapolis). Most of the meat and produce
used by Hardesty is local, and used to create
dishes such as Fischer Farms (Jasper, Ind.)
beef strip loin with a mushroom steak sauce
served with a warm fingerling potato salad,
which he pairs with North Coast Old Stock
Ale from Fort Bragg, Calif. “The beef pairs
well with a big hearty beer that acts like a
good tannic red wine and helps cut the fat.”
Using locally raised meat is imperative at
Revolution Brewing, with dishes such as
the pork chop, which is grilled and served
with pea/mint risotto, asparagus, cippolini
onion and jus. “We pair this with our Iron
Fist pale ale,” says Foik. “The Iron Fist has
a really nice dry floral hop on the top, but
it’s super crisp, so you get caramel notes
and it cuts through the sweet pea risotto
that is creamy. So, it contrasts with the pea
risotto, but complements the pork.”
He serves Copper River salmon with an amber
brew, while Hood Canal oysters are paired
with a rauchbier. “Something like fried green
tomatoes pairs well with a Belgian White.”
An interesting appetizer pairing is
pickled sardines with jalapeños, corn
tortillas, carrots and avocado, paired
with Three Floyds Pride & Joy mild ale.
“The mild ale goes with the sardines,”
Hardesty says. “It looks like a simple
dish, but there’s a lot going on. It’s like
a deconstructed fish taco. The cilantro
and jalapeño are locally grown.”
Revolution also serves a Flemish beef
stew, which is slow-braised in mild ale
and balsamic vinegar and served with
garlic/cream-cheese mashed potatoes,
French beans and carrots.
DESSERT AND BEER, ANYONE?
Beer pairings, as well as desserts infused with
beer, have made it onto the dessert menu.
Marcus says seasonal vegetables can also
inspire beer pairings. “Brussels sprouts are
locally grown here in the winter. I have paired
Tomato salad is another locally grown dish
that’s a favorite of Hardesty’s. “We serve
a tomato salad all summer long, changing
Hardesty pairs his double-layer chocolate
fudge cake with Black Chocolate Stout,
a well-balanced brew made by Brooklyn
Brewery, Brooklyn, N. Y.
