OnTap Magazine

BEER MEETS FOOD If you’re looking for the Holy Grail guide to pairing then you can stop reading right now. Why you may ask? Because there isn’t one and the best pairing advice you’re going to get from us is to forget everything you’ve read about pairing. Yes, that may sound like some edgy Brewdog-esque advice but it’s true. Ultimately, taste comes down to the individual. I might like pilchard and gherkin mayo on toast with a creamy vanilla stout but that doesn’t mean everyone does. e trick is to stop worrying about what’s right or wrong and nd out what works for you. Do this and pairing will start to make sense. With all that said, let’s take a look at a couple of rules, erm, thoughts for great pairings. For the sake of demonstration, we’ll use our lamb chop recipe as a reference for this tasty adventure. e rst thing we always ask ourselves is, does it taste good in my head? Flavours are memories that can be recalled at will so think about each one and see what you nd. Lamb is rich and gamey. Chimichurri is fresh and herbaceous. Saison is fruity, spicy and dry. When I put those avours together in my head it sounds pretty damn tasty. Bear in mind that this is not a fool proof approach. Our pickled chilli snoek popper experiment sounded epic until we tasted it. Anyway, let’s shove that horrible memory back to the dark depths and get back to the pairing at hand. On the surface, we’ve got robust avours that work together, and avours to cut through and balance. e intensity of the dish feels right meaning neither of the elements overwhelms the other. We’ve got a good base to work from but how can we make the pairing even better? Great avour is built in layers and our saison has citrus, pepper, and coriander avours, so let’s use those as our guide. Our dry rub is a salt and pepper base with crushed coriander seeds and a touch of onion and garlic powder. e pepper and coriander complement the spicy avours of the brew, while the onion and garlic add aromatic sweetness. Chimichurri is a herby avour bomb that’s not traditionally made with coriander but who cares, let’s add some. Whereas coriander seeds are earthy and warm, fresh coriander is tart with punchy citrus avours to match our brew. Our chimichurri also has a lime and vinegar bite to contrast the rich lamb, and complement the tart saison. All of a sudden things are starting to make sense. We’ve got a sexy Flamenco of avours happening in our dish and it’s time to bring it all together on the braai. Fire and smoke is hands down the best way to cook meat. e intense heat causes proteins and sugars to caramelise giving us roasty, umami avours. A similar reaction takes place when malt is kilned and caramelised. is is why malt forward beers pair so well with braaied food. Smoke adds the signature braai avour, loss of moisture intensi es meaty avour, and the char that forms on the exterior adds texture. In short, the braai is king and our lamb chops deserve the best. Now that our players and avour layers are all in order, how does the experience stack up? Well, we may be biased because it’s our recipe but we think it’s a winner. e dish is packed with complex layers of complementary avours and the saison is a perfect pairing. It glides across the palate echoing the spices and herbs, while clearing the rich lamb fat with ample carbonation. is pairing is all about complementary avours but the same approach can be used for contrasting pairings. Just remember to forget everything you’ve just read and ask yourself one question, does it taste good in my head? Flavours are memories that can be recalled at will THE BEER COUNTRY GUIDE TO FOOD AND BEER PAIRING 56 | Spring 2018 | ontapmag.co.za