Most people don't realize that beer can be paired with anything other then a nice party by a pool on a hot summer day. Although... that is a nice pairing, food and i mean all foods can be paired with beer.
For my first pairing guide I offer the likes of a mild beer. I want to start everyone on the lighter side and work my way up to the strong stuff.
Michelob has put on to the market three floavored beers. Now Im sure your thinking, what pansy is going to drink a flavored beer. Now lets not be to critical here, although this beer is probably marketed to the female market to interest them in drinking more beer, they still taste good. Further more, they pair well with food.
The flavors available are Tuscan Orange Grapefruit (TOG), Lime and Pomegranate Raspberry (PR). All of which, believe it or not, pair well with chocolate. For the TOG and PR a dark chocolate is best.
The lime on the other hand can be used to marinate your food or baste with. How bout some brats or even the classic beer can chicken (without the can) you can baste you chicken on the grill and when eating, enjoy a glass.
Naturally the TOG and PR flavored beers can pair with most fruit, but don't pair them with the fruit flavor itself or you will basically be defeating the purpose. The TOG beer can also be used for direct cooking with things like fish and can even use a little in a fresh vinaigrette salad dressing. The PR really just pairs with chocolate the best, I'm not to sure if anyone out there wants raspberry flavored chicken.
While I haven't tried it as a pairing experiment, Kristie did get a 6-pack of the Tuscan Orange Grapefruit a while back and I had to try one. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed with it as a beer itself. It seemed to me like it had all the tart and bitterness from the grapefruit, but not a whole lot of the flavor. I guess that's why I didn't really give it much of a chance with bringing it into the kitchen...
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