Wheat beers tend to be a love-'em-or-leave-'em proposition. People either like them or they don't. For some it's the sharp taste of the wheat that turns them either on or off. For others it's the banana and clove flavors of the yeast used in German varieties. But it's these very peculiar properties of wheat beers that make them fantastically food friendly and perfect for lighter summer fare. More

With their hopped-up intensity they easily overwhelm most foods and seem harsh and astringent with many dishes that can stand up to them. For my palate they're a bit too bitter and boozy for sweet dishes and add too much fuel to the fire for spicy. But that doesn't mean you should take double IPA out of your pairing toolbox altogether. More

These beers turn up the volume on flavor, so they need dishes with similar intensity to stand up. When pairing IPA with food you have three basic flavor hooks at your disposal; bitterness, hop flavor (spicy, grassy, herbal, earthy, and citrus), and caramel. Hop flavors have a great affinity for spices and light fruits. Bitterness has a cooling affect. Paired with spicy dishes, IPA will fan the flames at first, but douse them in the end. Bitterness also amplifies salty and umami flavors. The caramel flavors in the beer will latch onto the sweeter side of a dish, tying into things like caramelized onion or the crispy skins of roast poultry. And the hop acids and carbonation make IPAs great palate cleansers to take on even the fattiest deep-fried delights. More

St. Patty's Day is here again. This holiday perhaps more than any other—particularly the religious ones—is associated with drinking beer. It's a suds-fueled release of energies pent-up during Lent's long days of denial. Another important part of this Saint's day celebration is the adoption of certain "traditionally Irish" foods. Sounds to me like the perfect excuse to create some tasty beer and food pairings. More

Beer and cheese have a natural affinity. In fact, they are almost the same thing. Both start with grass; barley and wheat in the case of beer, and actual grass in the case of cheese. Putting together a beer and cheese tasting is as easy as assembling an assortment of cheeses of different textures and types and choosing a bevy of beers to go with them. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. More

As a general rule, when pairing beer with chocolates, you want to go rich and go malty. The toast, roast, caramel, and chocolate flavors of malt-forward beers are a perfect match for the decadent creaminess of truffles or the bitter bite of high-cocoa chocolate. Tart fruit lambics are also fun partners for chocolate treats: they beautiful balance the richness of creamy ganache fillings. But don't ignore the bitter brews completely: roasty beers can work the way the coffee does with sweets, and in combination with the right dessert, a balanced IPA can be just the thing to make your tastebuds swoon. More

Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner, and that means all-day parties with friends, food, and most importantly, beer. When picking your Super Bowl suds, remember that you're likely to have a few and you don't want to burn out too early. Session beers are the way to go. Save the high-test super-beers for another day, and choose brews with a high drinkability quotient. Beers that are too heavy or too hoppy will fill you up and fry your palate. Here are a few recommended beers to sip with your favorite Super Bowl snacks. More

"I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let's grab some take-out." Who hasn't said that at least once? No matter how much you like to cook, sometimes you just aren't feeling it. In those instances, a delivery pizza or a jog around the corner for Chinese is just the ticket. While you're out, pick up some beer. But what beer to choose? Here are some general pointers to help you find a good match for whatever dishes you're ordering. More

In many households it's turkey at Thanksgiving and ham at Christmas. For my family that nearly always means a ham that's succulent and honey-glazed. The sweet/savory combination of salt, smoke, porcine richness, and caramelized honey make for a pretty delicious meal. Of course, I like to make it even better with beer. More

The Thanksgiving feast is over. The pile of turkey bones on your plate rivals a specimen drawer at the natural history museum. You've stuffed yourself to the gullet and you've washed it down with a delightful biére de garde or Belgian tripel. You're done. You're satisfied. But wait! There's pie! And how can say no to pie? Especially when there's beer to go with it. More

Too many people think that beer is great for everyday dining, but reach for wine when it comes to special occasions. The notion is that grape is a more comely companion to the elegant feast than grain. 50 years of pale yellow swill has so deeply ingrained this delusion into our collective psyche that even some otherwise-avid beer fans forget themselves on Thanksgiving Day. But truth be told, beer's range of flavors makes it a much better match for turkey and trimmings than many would expect. More

Whether it's takeout or you've made it yourself, pad thai provides a symphony of flavors. There are fresh, green flavors from scallion, sweetness from sugar and tamarind, and umami from fish sauce, meat, egg, and/or tofu. Peanuts add a nutty inflection, while lime juice brings a bit of balancing acidity. And let's face it, there's some oil to cope with, too. That's a lot to consider when searching for a delicious beverage pairing. More

There's a nippy chill in the air, at least here in the Northland where I live. It's time to turn away from the lighter fare of summer in favor of those cozy comfort foods that carry us through the winter. What could be more comforting than macaroni and cheese? Mac and cheese is also the perfect food for the darker, fuller-bodied beers of the season—balanced beers with brown and orange hues that match with the colors of autumn. More

This recipe for cheese enchiladas offers three avenues of approach for pairing beers: we have corn tortillas, spicy seasoning, and raisiny, dried-fruit flavors from the sauce. You want to pick beers that will stand up to the darker flavors without overwhelming the lighter ones. Also, the abundance of cheese and rich sauce call for something with some palate cleansing potential. More

Pairing beer to fried chicken is all about finding balance. Despite its greasy reputation, well-prepared fried chicken displays a delicate interplay of juicy, flavorful meat and toasty, crunchy crust. The beer you choose should speak to both without overpowering either. The aggressively bitter, citrusy punch of IPAs and pale ales throw the balance out of whack. The fruity and spicy yeast flavors of weissbiers and many Belgian beers can clash with fried chicken's crusty crunch. More

Tangy tomato dishes can be tricky to pair with wine. Acids and tannins in the vino can amplify the acidity of the tomatoes to create harshly astringent offspring. But beer offers several tasty avenues to tame the tomato—malt to match the sweetness, yeasty notes to balance the tang, and hops and carbonation to wipe the palate clean. More

No matter what kind of ribs you like, you'll probably want a beer to go with all that slow-cooked meat.When pairing ribs with beer, you want to reach for malt-forward beers that offer sweetness or roast. Crisp lagers are nice for their palate cleansing power, but super-bitter beers may harshly overpower the delicate flavors of the meat. More

When pairing beers with sushi one might first be tempted to deal with that sinus-clearing wasabi. But many of sushi's main constituents are big umami providers, including soy sauce, seaweed, and of course raw fish. The best pairings enhance these flavors, in turn toning down the horseradishy heat of any wasabi. More

Salads are among the world's perfect foods, especially this time of year. They can be sweet, tart, savory, spicy, herbal, fruity, and funky, sometimes all at once. But with so many simultaneous flavors, salads can pose problems when trying to choose the perfect beverage. The acidity of a vinaigrette, for instance, and the bitterness of certain greens can be hard to partner up. And how do you decide which flavors to focus on when there's so much going on? More

The general rule when pairing beer with desserts is to keep the beer sweeter than the dessert. But of course, rules are meant to be broken. While sweet-to-sweet match-ups are nice, s'mores are such a super-saccharine treat that this approach can easily become too much. The bitterness brought by roasted malts or coffee provide a tasty counterpoint to all that sugar. Beers with a bit of fruit and acidity will also work. In either case, though, an ample amount of residual sugar is still required or those contrasting flavors come off as harsh. More

When pairing beers with vegetables, be they in salads, steamed or sautéed, I typically think of lighter flavors. I reach for kölsch, pilsner, hefeweizen, and saison. But grilled vegetables are another thing altogether. Their flavors are intensified. The sugars seem sweeter and the planty tastes pop. Light charring adds intriguing dark flavors. Up against the stronger tastes, those lighter beers get lost in the smoke. More

Beer and grilled sausage: the two are a natural fit. It's such an overwhelming flood of delectable possibilities that it's hard to decide where to begin. To solve this enviable dilemma I took a shotgun approach by staging a sausage-fest. Together with some friends I grilled up 7 kinds of sausage and sampled 11 different beers in an attempt to discover the best-of-the-best brew and banger matchups. More

Thai beef salad is a great beer pairing challenge. There are so many flavors bouncing off one another in this dish that it's difficult to know how to approach it. There's citric acidity, salty/fishy/beefy umami, and herbal notes from fresh mint and basil, and riding on top of it all is the chili pepper heat. More

Roast chicken is such a versatile dish—its sweet and savory flavors may convey subdued elegance, but they're equally at home at a German fast food stand. It's also a versatile companion for beer, pairing with a wide range of styles to fit whatever mood you want to create. More

A good burger will complement a wide variety of beers from pilsners to porters. But attention paid to ingredients and preparation can reveal the secrets to finding the perfect pairing. The toasty, browned crust on the beef and the sweet caramelized onions give these sliders a couple of flavor hooks to help you narrow down the selection of brews. More