Last month, I finished up a series of posts for a new craft beer website called craftbeer.ca. This was a particularly fun gig because the site’s founder gave me latitude to write about just about whatever topic I wanted. At least, as long as there was a loose beer-and-food focus.
There really is a mountain of beer writing on the Internet right now, but I still think there are several under-explored corners and good beer’s relationship to food is definitely one of them.
Below you’ll find a quick guide to the eight posts I wrote for craftbeer.ca.
Tips for Cooking with Beer: These have been my four go-to pointers for those who are just getting their heads wrapped around the idea of using beer as an ingredient. Useful, I hope, and a help in distinguishing beer vs. other ingredients.
Five No-Fail Food and Beer Pairings: Many beer drinkers are on-board for exploring the new and interesting products from their local breweries, but need a gentle nudge when it comes to pairing it with food.
Beer and Cheese: Wine and beer are at war. It’s a cold war (mainly because good wine doesn’t yet have to worry about good beer taking any of its market share) and certainly a jovial one whenever there’s a refreshment break. But the idea that commentary on one can happen without at least occasional reference to the other is, I think, flawed. Cheese is one of the perfect battles for beer writers to choose when drawing comparisons to wine.
Book Review – Beerology by Mirella Amato: I know Mirella as a colleague from the Toronto beer-writing scene and also the subject of one of the profiles in my book. I’m glad to say that her first book, Beerology, is a very good introductory guide for those who are starting to explore beer appreciation.
Beer Pairings for the Sweet Tooth: I’m not necessarily a dessert guy, but am intrigued by the challenge of pairing beers with it. Given a few simple guidelines, the task of planning a meal whose beer pairings finish as strongly as they started is not really that tough.
Beer Battered Everything: Bubbles are the textural component of beer that makes it such a great ingredient for batters. I have a look at why this is and how to get as much bang for your beer batter buck as possible.
Navigating Beer Dinners – Practical Tips for All Involved: If someone says to me today, “I like good beer and really dig when it’s paired with excellent food – where should I go for a special meal?” My answer generally is: find a beer dinner happening near you and for a certain price you will have a better experience than you would at almost any restaurant, even ones with a beer focus. This post covers my thinking on the ways to find the best beer dinners.
More Craft Beer and Food Pairings: Beyond the usual suspects – like oysters, sausages, and British pub fare – there are so many other types of food and individual dishes that pair excellently beer. Here I have a look at a few that may not have occurred to you, but that I think you should consider.
If you have any questions or think that there are other topics I should have covered, please don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments section of this post.
