I’m continuously being surprised by new and delicious combinations. While wine can accompany a meal, it’s not an active participant in the feast the way beer is. Beer’s complexity provides layers of flavor in my dishes and with my pairings that I could never achieve with wine. (Sorry, old friend.) The core ingredients of beer that yield flavor, hops and barley, are more varied than wine (Again, nothing personal.) and beer often has other interesting ingredients that take it to another level– Grains of Paradise, lemon zest, coriander, cinnamon… just to name a few.

In fact, food and beer are very like-minded in their composition: Same flavors, same textures and same aromas. It’s these similarities that make food and beer pairings so easy. Simply, there are no rules to pairing food with beer.

However, to get you started, the brewers at Samuel Adams and I have put together a few suggestions for food and beer pairings along with some rationale on why they go together. Like any relationship, relaxation and adventure go a long way. Pairing food and beer is no different.

Experiment a little and see what works. Some of the best food and beer pairings I ever tasted were things I just stumbled on. All you need is great food and a great flavorful beer; the rest will take care of itself.

Cheers and Bon Appetit!

Click the image above for a full list of pairing suggestions