Become the Beer Expert in your Group with these 3 Facts

Become the Beer Expert in your Group with these 3 Facts

Do you know what beer suits best for fish, beef or spicy food?

There is an incredible number of different kinds of beer: light, dark, sweet, bitter, and many more. You definitely have some favorites, but how much do you really know about beer? Why is it called beer, and what dishes suit all the many different beers? Find out here with these four grains of gold about the golden drink!

1. The color of the beer

You would almost think it was a lie, but the beer’s color plays a considerable role when it comes to the totality of the beer. It’s almost like math when it comes to calculating beer color.

In Europe, we use the unit EBC (European Brewing Convention) to determine the color of the beer. The malt in beer determines where on the EBC scale that beer is located. A light lager (which many like) is only at three or five EBC, whereas a dark porter comes all the way up to 1200 EBC.

You can read more about a beers EBC here: Beer Color Demystified

2. The essential ingredients in beer

It does not quite make sense to us how in the world people brew beer. But we are super happy that they can find out! There are four main ingredients in beer, but what is their significance for the beer?

Malt

• The primary source causes the sugar to ferment and then develop into the beer’s alcohol and carbon dioxide. You could say in a way that malt has the same effect in beer as grapes have in wine.

Hops

• It contributes aromas and bitterness to balance the sweetness of the malt.

Yeast

• It converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide without oxygen and forms many of the scents you find in a beer.

Water

• An essential ingredient because the various mineral salts can significantly influence the brewing process of the beer. Another good reason to drink a lot, lots of water!

3. The perfect kind of beer for the food

With all the different types of beer with hundreds of different colors and depths, it can be challenging to assess which beer to drink for your meal. See what to drink for dinner here.

Beef

Although red wine goes incredibly well with a good, large, and red steak, you can quickly drink beer with the steak if you prefer. Dark Belgian beer is a superb match for the red steak. And if you dare, then a porter could also match really well, even if it becomes a powerful combination.

Fish

Light beers such as lagers are perfect for seafood. If you need to eat a delicious and fatty salmon, it is a wheat beer that fits perfectly. A small exception is that oysters and porter (which is the darkest and most potent beer) should work wonderfully together – maybe it should be tried?

Spicy food

In this category, there is a caveat lot of beer, which is suitable for spicy food. If you eat spicy food – possibly Thai-inspired – it is a good idea to drink an ice-cold lager. It helps to quench the thirst if the dish is very spicy. If you eat wok dishes, it is obvious to drink sweet beers – either wheat beer or Radler with an orange taste. It makes good sense to drink dark lager beer in Japanese cuisine as it creates an intense flavor.

Desserts

For the sweet kitchen, you can also easily drink beer. For the next event, try making a decadent chocolate mousse or brownie, and serve it with a dark Belgian beer – or possibly a porter.