Beer pairings are fun. There are lots of guidelines, but unlike wine, no hard and fast rules. In other words, a brown ale pales with beef but if you wanted to pair with an amber, go for it.
Beer is cool with it, taste how you like.
Personally, I’m a fan of palette jacking – the concept behind it is to create really complex flavor pairings that challenge the guidelines. Pizza is a perfect canvas to play this game. Mozzarella pairs with lighter beers whereas meats pair with darker beers. Drop something spicy into it the mix and you’re into IPA pairing land.
Want to get really crazy, pair a complex food with a flight so you can compare and contrast the different tastes. You’ll need a restaurant where both the pizza and beer game is strong, like Flying Saucer Kansas City.
Turned out my fave pairing for this pie with jalapeño, pepperoni and hot coppa was a juicy Pale Ale … especially after I asked the server to bring us some honey to drizzle on top.
What’s your fave pizza and beer pairing?
