VIEW SLIDESHOW: Ask a Cicerone: Which Beers Are Best With Grilled Food?

Editor's Note: Ask a what? A Certified Cicerone® is a beer expert who has passed a particular certification exam administered by the Craft Beer Institute. You can think of them as beer sommeliers: these folks have demonstrated significant beer knowledge and tasting skill, plus professional skills in beer sales and service. Got a beer-related query for the experts? Ask away in the comments section!

Grilling season is officially upon us, and we're celebrating with beer. But while you're stocking up on sausages, ribs, chicken thighs, and steaks, you might want to pick up some beers that will be particularly well suited for your grilled feast.

Whether you're making grilled eggplant, bratwurst, or grilled salmon, our beer experts are on hand to suggest a brew that will make everything taste better together. Check out the slideshow for their tips »

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[Photo: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

When I was growing up, Mother's Day brunch typically meant stuffing our faces at the Shoney's breakfast bar. We stood in line for silver-dollar pancakes, burnt bacon, and scrambled eggs that were either runny or rigid. There wasn't Champagne and caviar, just from-concentrate OJ and drip coffee.

Mom deserves better than that. She put up with all of our childhood (and adolescent) antics, after all. If you're looking for something a little more creative than a Bellini and scrambled eggs, consider a Mother's Day celebration that forgoes the grape in favor of the grain. Invite Mom over for a beer brunch. Here's what to make and which beers to serve alongside each dish.

A Sip to Start

[Photograph: Wes Rowe]

Rather than the same old mimosas, greet your guest of honor with a flute filled with a refreshing beer cocktail made with fresh citrus juice topped up with a Champagne-method beer like DeuS Brut des Flandres. The large bottle feels festive, but you can also make mimosas with a German-style hefeweizen such as Sierra Nevada Kellerweis. Honestly, the beer version is much more refreshing than one made with prosecco. If Mom is a hophead, consider making this fresh, tart, and beautifully bitter variation with fresh grapefruit juice and Imperial IPA.

If Mom tends to like tomato-based breakfast drinks, consider mixing up Micheladas, made with your favorite lager, tomato juice, a bit of lime, plus celery salt, Worcestershire, and hot sauce to taste. Salt the rim of the serving glasses, and garnish with lime wedges.

Seafood Appetizer

After that initial morning pick-me-up it's time to eat. Kick things off with a light seafood dish. Go spicy with a basic shrimp cocktail or add a little sophistication with salmon caviar blinis. With these dishes, pour everyone a bit of a German or Bohemian-style pilsner. The sharp, spicy hops are heavenly with horseradishy cocktail sauce, and give bitter-sweet balance to the smoky, salty blini.

Some widely available examples to look for are Victory Prima Pils, Lagunitas Pils, Left Hand Polestar Pilsner, and Bitburger Pils. Any of these will do the job. You can pour each guest about 4 ounces of beer with each course, but you'll want to have extra on hand in case they want a second serving. It's nice if you can give each guest two different glasses so they don't have to dump (or chug) each beer as you move onto the next one.

Something Savory

[Photo: Kerry Saretsky]

For a low-stress meal, a simple, savory quiche with chard, pancetta, and Pecorino Romano is a sure-fire Mom pleaser. (Offer vegetarians this delicious kale version as an alternative.) Both recipes are easy to make and sure to satisfy. (They're also great with some rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes on the side.)

What beers should you pour with the main course? Hefeweizen or saison would be my beers of choice here. Yeasty fruit and spice in both styles are great with bitter greens and wheat beers are the perfect thing with eggs. Both beers are fizzy enough to clear your palate and leave you feeling refreshed, and these styles are easy-drinking people pleasers in case your guest list includes some folks who aren't quite hip to beer.

Big Sky Brush Tail Saison, St. Feuillien Saison, Boulevard Tank 7, and Stillwater Stateside Saison are all phenomenal saisons to seek out. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is certainly near the top of the German wheat beers. Ayinger Bräu Weisse and In-Heat Wheat from Flying Dog Brewery are also worth a try. Or check with a local brewery or brewpub. This is the season when hefeweizens start to reappear, and it can be fun to pour something super-fresh and local.

Something Sweet

[Photo: María del Mar Sacasa]

You'll want to end your motherly tribute on a sweet note. My pick: this ridiculously delicious coffee coffee cake. This recipe had me at double coffee, but it's the crunchy streusel of toasted hazelnuts and cocoa nibs that sends it over the top.

Go ahead and serve coffee with this dessert, but we're not done with beer yet, either. One option is to choose a coffee stout or porter, such as Alesmith Speedway Stout or Kona Pipeline Porter, which will pull out the flavors of the bitter bean and contrast the sweeter chocolate and nuts in the cake. A chocolaty stout such as Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout or Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat will send your guests into cocoa-crazed ecstasy. (We also love Young's Double Chocolate Stout.) Another option is to serve a nutty brown ale that will highlight the toasted flavors in the streusel. Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar is actually infused with hazelnut extract. Fat Squirrel from New Glarus gets its nutty notes naturally from toasted malts.

Think your mom would be up for a Mother's Day beer brunch? Which beers would you pour?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out later this year from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint.

[Photograph: glass of beer with heart from Shutterstock]

Dim the lights, light the candles, and cue the smooth jazz; Valentine's Day is just around the corner. What better way to woo your sweetest than a multi-course meal paired with beer? Skip the restaurant prix fixe scams and get cozy at home, cooking an aphrodiasical dinner together and sipping some delicious beer parings alongside each dish.

Start your romantic repast off right by popping the cork on a bottle of bubbly brew while you cook. Something light and festive: perhaps a beer made with the methode champenoise like Scaldis Prestige or DeuS Brut des Flandres. Pour two flutes and let the fun begin.

Appetizer: Oysters

[Photograph: Marvin Gapultos]

Oysters are the essential food of love. Besides that, they're just darn good. This recipe for oysters with Irish stout granita brings an added dimension to your pairing by making the beer part of the dish itself.

If you've never tried the classic pairing of stout and oysters, Valentine's day is the perfect opportunity. The toasty flavors of roasted malts offer a counterpoint to the oysters' briny salt. The one makes the other stand out, creating what I like to call an umami tsunami.

Which stouts should you try with this first course? The dry roastiness of an Irish stout like Guinness, Beamish, or Three Floyd's Black Sun Stout will emphasize the briny flavors. To push the meatier umami try a richer, sweeter, and stronger foreign extra stout. Lion Stout from Sri Lanka is a great one to check out.

You can also raise the pairing to a truly-melded level by serving an oyster stout alongside your bivalves. That's right: there are oysters in the beer. Oyster shells and/or meat are introduced into the brewing process to give these beers an earthy brine and calcium-rich texture that makes them perfect to wash down a dozen on the half shell. They can be a bit hard to find—try getting a growler at your local brewery, especially if you're coastal. Porterhouse Oyster Stout is relatively common and quite tasty, with subtle salty mineral notes peeking out from behind a full-bodied, cocoa-licious foreground.

Main Course: Seared Duck Breasts

[Photograph: Johnny Miller]

There's something luxurious about duck for dinner, and this recipe for seared duck breasts with garam masala and grapes is sure to be a home run. Rich texture, spicy and fruity flavors: it's just the thing for a romantic dinner, and though it's fancy-sounding, the recipe is actually quite quick to prepare.

One way to approach this dish is with an equally luxurious, fruity/spicy beer, such as a strong dark ale from Belgium. Pepper, spice, dried fruit and cherry fermentation notes will complement the garam masala and the sauce. The malty richness will pick up the seared surface and subtle sweetness of the duck, and the effervescence and alcohol will leave your palate cleansed. Trappistes Rochefort 10 is a beautiful choice. You also can't go wrong with St. Bernardus Abt 12. (Or get a bottle of each and try both!)

If you want to cut through the richness a bit more, you can rely on the acidity of a fruity sour beer. Flemish brown ales like Liefmans Goudenband or La Folie from New Belgium Brewing in Colorado offer dark, balsamic-drenched, fruity flavors that are a perfect tie-in to the sauce and provide a lovely counterpoint to the spice. Or go further with unsweetened lambic. Cantillon St. Lamvinus is aged on merlot and cabernet-franc grapes, giving it a bright and vinous profile that will work with the sauce, the spice, and the meat.

Another option is to substitute cherries for the grapes in the recipe, and then pair it with a special bottle of New Glarus Belgian Cherry Red or Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vieille. Both are made with copious amounts of tart cherries that will make a one-to-one match with a cherry version of the sauce. In all of these pairings the beer's acidity will cut through richness of the duck.

Main Course: Vegetarian Option

[Photograph: Oof Verschuren]

But what if your love is vegetarian? Check out this recipe for Vol-au-Vent filled with creamy celeriac and wild mushrooms. For a kitschy touch to catch the eye of your beloved, change the star decorations to hearts. This savory, earthy, mushroom pie calls out for the caramelized malt and herbal/spicy hops of doppelbock or English mild.

Doppelbock is brilliant with both mushrooms and roots. It brings a luscious caramelized maltiness that makes the umami in the food stand out. And subtle spicy hops pick up on the herbs. strong>Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock is one of the best, plus it's easy to find. For an outstanding domestic option, look for Troegenator Double Bock from Tröegs Brewing Company.

English mild brings some darker, nutty/roasty flavors to the mix that complement rather than contrast this dish, and the herbal hops are always nice with earthier dishes. These beers also come in at less than 4% ABV, which is a nice bonus when you're trying a few different beers in one evening. Look for Cain's Dark Mild or Moorhouse's Black Cat, or see if your local brewery makes a mild.

Dessert: Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart

Seal the deal with an all-out sensual overload, an intense and decadent chocolate and salted caramel tart—homemade, of course.

But just because it's time for dessert doesn't mean your beer-drinking hours are over: just make sure to get a beer with some serious chops to stand up to the tart.

There are two possible routes: beers that steer toward caramel flavors, and those that are big and bold with loads of bitter and chocolate roast.

To latch into the caramel flavors, barleywine is the way to go. An English version will emphasize the malty-sweet connection, providing just enough bitterness and herbal hop flavor to prevent sugar coma. The salt in the desert will give those hops a little boost. Anchor Old Foghorn is a great domestic version with a little more hops than some. For the full-on malt experience seek out J.W. Lee's Vintage Harvest Ale. You can often find vintage bottles. Grab the oldest one you can get for a mellow and delicious experience.

American barleywines will tend to have a greater emphasis on hops, giving you tangerine and grapefruit overtones that add some depth and complexity to the pairing. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine is the benchmark, but the hops can be rough. Look for a bottle that is at least a year old. Also worth trying are Avery Hog Heaven Barley Wine and Victory Old Horizontal.

If you'd rather connect to the chocolate flavors in the dessert, go with an imperial stout to complement the tart like a cup of coffee would. Big, bold, and roasty imperial stouts have enough punch to stand up to sweetness, cutting through all the sugar while bittersweet chocolate flavors provide the connection. North Coast's Old Rasputin is a favorite of ours, delivering chocolate and coffee flavors with a strong backing of citrusy hops. Oscar Blues Ten FIDY leans more heavily on the chocolate flavors and molasses sweetness, but is still bitter enough to keep it balanced.

Of course, this is just one possible menu. What beer and food pairings will you serve your sweetheart on Valentine's Day?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this spring from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

[Photo: Robyn Lee]

Some of my fondest memories of Christmases past are of hanging out in the kitchen with my mom as she baked batch after batch of cookies; cutting shapes with the plastic cookie cutters, getting covered in flour, and eating raw dough. Okay, I also ate little balls of Crisco, but that's a story for another time.

Back in the day, those cookies were washed down with a tall glass of milk, but these days I'm partial to a mug of craft-brewed suds. Whether you're hosting a cookie swap party or delivering some gifts by way of reindeer-and-chimney, consider pouring a beer alongside your holiday dessert.

But which beer, you ask? Porters and stouts are a good place to start, along with barleywines, old ales and sweetened fruit lambics. But don't be afraid to go out on a limb. The citrusy zip of an American IPA creates surprising synergy with certain spiced cookies. Yeasty Belgians, fluffy wheats and lighter lagers can create magic as well. Here's my guide to the best beers to pair with different types of Christmas cookies.

Sugar & Butter

[Photo: Lauren Weisenthal]

It almost wouldn't be Christmas without frosted and sprinkled sugar cookies and butter cookies. But they're even better with a beer that has prominent bready malt and light stone-fruit flavors. Look for Belgian blond ales like Grimbergen or Omer Blonde, as well as stronger golden ales like Duvel or Victory Golden Monkey. The malt in these beers pulls up the bready character of the cookie as the yeasty fruit and spice works to tone down the sweet sugar sprinkles or frosting. Fizzy carbonation washes it all away.

Beers with more obvious stone fruit flavors like Lindemans Peche or Chapeau Abricot combine with the cookies to create instant cobbler. The bit of acidity that remains in these sweetened lambics softens the sugary blow. It's a magical combination.

My mom's holiday favorite is the Snickerdoodle, a classic sugar cookie with a cinnamon-sugar addition. Try them with Shiner Holiday Cheer, a hefeweizen brewed with toasted pecans and Texas peaches. Clove flavors in the beer work with the cinnamon to turn the illusion of cobbler up a notch.

Ginger Cookies

[Photo: Elizabeth Barbone]

For many, gingery spice is the flavor of the season. Whether you're munching gingerbread, ginger snaps, or ginger molasses cookies, pick big beers with citrusy hops for a pairing that pops. American-style barleywines are perfect. Beers like Sierra Nevada Bigfoot or Avery Hog Heaven have aggressive hoppiness that melds perfectly with the ginger. The massive, malty base softens the spice and pulls out brown sugar and molasses from the cookies. An English IPA like Meantime India Pale Ale can work here as well. English IPA has a more substantial malt backbone than American, which give the pairing better spice/sweet balance.

A big, sweet stout is another delicious option. Strong molasses flavors in North Coast's Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout cozy up to the cookie's molasses and brown sugar base. Rich chocolate and ample residual sugar offer tasty contrasts that tone down the ginger spice.

Chocolate Cookies

[Photo: Quentin Bacon]

Chocolate cookies do well with stouts of all kinds. For a roasty-bitter contrast, choose a simple Irish dry stout like Guinness or Murphy's. A milk or oatmeal stout will balance the pairing, complementing the rich sweetness of the cookies. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout remains one of the best and is lovely here. Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat is a milk stout with a slightly more bitter edge that pulls out bittersweet cocoa flavors from the cookies. For an over-the-top chocolate orgy, pick Young's Double Chocolate Stout. The pairing is an all-out chocolate assault, but the beer has enough roast to give a bit of balance to the experience.

Mint and beer? Sure, why not? If your chocolate cookies or chocolate bark has the addition of peppermint (like this recipe for chocolate mint thumbprints), choose a hoppy imperial stout like Victory Storm King—the hops add a hint of herbal flavor that complements the mint nicely.

If your chocolate cookies have peanut butter in the mix, try them paired with Lindemans or Timmermans Framboise—it's like eating a peanut butter sandwich on chocolate bread. Paired with Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout this combination evokes Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Mmmmm.

Fruit & Nuts

[Photo: Carrie Vasios]

My favorite Christmas cookies as a kid were powdered-sugar-covered pecan snowballs. These nutty little gems call for a nutty kind of beer, and bown ales fit the bill. Just a small step down from porters and stouts, brown ales still have a bit of roasted-malt bitterness to cut the sweetness of the cookies, but the dominant nutty and caramel flavors are the star of the pairing. These beers are practically made for pecans. Choose a malty English-style brown like Avery Ellie's Brown Ale or Newcastle (from a can). If you want to go a little darker, try Pecan Porter from 512 Brewing Company. The pecan flavor really comes through, making it a perfect match.

Almond biscotti are a holiday standard in some households. These cookies often dipped into hot coffee, but it's fun to try them with a coffee-flavored beer. Kona Brewing Company's Pipeline Porter is one of the best. 100% Kona-grown beans give the beer a smooth coffee bitterness that balances the sweetness while caramel malt undertones pick up the almonds. Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout is sharper and roastier, creating a pairing that is all about smoky and bitter contrast.

One unique beer to try this Christmas is Lift Bridge Brewery's Biscotti . The beer was inspired by the owner's grandmother's biscotti recipe. It's a Belgian-style confection overflowing with notes of toast, nuts, and dark fruits that work in harmony with all the flavors of the cookie.

If your cookies are filled with jam, try them with a light and fruity wheat beer. It's almost like liquid and solid versions of the same thing; bready wheat and shortbread, fruit juice and jam. Try Pyramid Apricot Ale with apricot-filled cookies or Seadog Raspberry Wheat with the raspberry-filled version. Fruit lambics are another option here. Oud Beersel Framboise is a great non-sweetened, raspberry lambic that isn't too funky and sour, and it's delicious with cookies.

Do you like to wash down your holiday cookies with a beer? Do you leave Santa a sixpack to sip on? What's your favorite beer and cookie combination?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this spring from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint.

Spoiler Alert!

• Best beers: La Choulette Les Sans Culottes, Brooklyn Brewery Local Two
• Best ciders: Albemarle Old Virginia Winesap, Eve's Cidery Blackthorn Hollow Dry
• With dessert: Eden Ice Cider Northern Spy
• Pricey pie pick: Sam Adams Utopias

In the wake of Serious Drinks Editor Maggie Hoffman's triumphant wine vs. beer Thanksgiving battle, assembling a comparable cider vs. beer dinner seemed daunting. I can't brine a turkey like Kenji, pickle cranberries like Marisa, or even whip up a pumpkin pie on a weeknight like Lauren. During the holiday season, I'm a boozy man in a foodie world. So, in lieu of a feast akin to Maggie's, I did what any native New Yorker with a 60 hour work week would do. I picked up the phone, wrangled the best tipplers in town and headed straight for America's Thanksgiving in a bag...Boston Market.

Boston Market doesn't serve the perfect Thanksgiving meal. The yams are too sweet, the turkey's dry and lifeless, and the stuffing tastes more like wet bread than the sausage-laden goodness that my Grandma turns out every year. But still, the essence of Thanksgiving flavor was there, and that was enough to help us work though a dozen-odd ciders and beers to find the best options for your Thanksgiving table.

A Few Thanksgiving Beer & Cider Tips

The wall of craft beers and ciders at your local liquor store can seem daunting at first. But with a few guidelines, choosing cider and beer for Thanksgiving can be exciting rather than stressful. Here is our cheat sheet to help you choose the best options.

Play it safe and buy stuff you you like.
Preparing dinner for a dozen friends and family is not the time to break out new, untested recipes. The same holds true for drinks. Reach for what you know works. Share your latest discovery with your guests and they will share your excitement over a well made beer or cider. And if you do get adventurous, always have a few tried and true bottles as backup.

You need some body to be somebody.
Palate cleansing drinks such as Belgian saisons and dry ciders are classic food pairings but they often fail against the richness of a Thanksgiving feast. Pop these bottles before your meal, preferably with oyster or a cheese course. When it comes to the main event, chose something more substantial, with richer body and/or residual sugar. The exception to this rule is tart, tannic ciders which can both cut rich foods and cleanse the palate. Consider trying some of each to see what you like best.

Let the food shine.
Spiced farmhouse ales can complement the fall flavors of Thanksgiving—but look for brews that tasty spicy rather than serving assertive spice-added options that might clash with your meal.

With Cider, Keep it Bright

Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to dive into the world of cider. Apples are quintessentially fall and ciders has a long history with these harvest flavors. Plus, a few bottles of cider can be a conversation starter to break up the usual banter between courses. David Flaherty, Beer & Spirits Director at Hearth & Terroir in New York, tells us:

In addition to the ubiquitous turkey on the table (and the hordes of relatives eyeing it like savages), if one wants to truly give thanks for our country's bounty, then cider must be on the table. You can't get more American than that. Hard apple cider was America's favorite drink of yore, and since Benjamin Franklin will not be able to attend your gathering (he will be dining with Justin Bieber), pour your mama a tankard of farmstead cider and tell her you love her. It's the proper thing to do".

When picking a cider for your feast, look for something with vibrant acidity. Our clear favorite of the night was the Old Virginia Winesap from Albemarle CiderWorks in Virginia. This dry cider was tart enough to both complement the bird and cut through even the sweetest candied yams. Blackthorn Hollow Dry, a new fall release from Eve's Cidery, paired equally well, offering similar acidity and an angular, but uplifting finish.

Another option is to veer toward the sweeter side of the spectrum. Also successful was bRosé, a blueberry cider from Vermont upstart Citizen Cider. While a bit awkward around our gravy and meat, the added sweetness held up well with starchy sides while the blueberry character found favor with the cranberry sauce.

Roasty, Nutty Beers Rule the Day

The peppery spice and effervescence of our first beer, the widely-available Saison DuPont, set the bar high for our beer pairings. And while this benchmark saison shines with simply prepared vegetables, it was the nuttier, roasty beers that ruled the day with a Thanksgiving plate piled high.

The walnut aroma of La Choulette's Les Sans Culottes, a French Bière de Garde, worked as well with mashed potatoes as it did with turkey. Closer to home, Brooklyn Brewery's Local Two brought a bit more malt to the table which, according to Serious Drinker Jonathan Moxey, "is substantial enough to stand up to the heartier harvest flavors without overpowering the dishes."

Less successful were the bitter beers of the night. Even mildly hopped beers, such as Stillwater's Autumnal clashed with the richness of the meal. Similarly, strongly spiced beers—such as the Allagash White, worked with some of the dishes but not others. In general, assertively hopped or spiced beers can do wonders with specific foods but are difficult to pair with a wide range of Thanksgiving flavors. So stick with the nuttier, less-hopped and less-spiced options.

Sizing up the Sweet Stuff

When it came to the end of the meal, we went big on both the beers and the ciders. The boozy quality of my AEppelTreow Pommeaux stood better on its own, but didn't play nicely with pie. The sweetly-tart Northern Spy from Eden Ice Cider, however, was decadent without overpowering other flavors. Two years later, it still remains my top choice for an Thanksgiving dessert cider.

The dessert star, however, was Sam Adam's Utopias. At $190 a bottle, 29% alcohol, and 0% carbonation, Utopias is always a topic of conversation in the craft beer world. This Rolls Royce of beers drinks more like a cognac than a pale ale and should be savored as such. And while Utopias is a total luxury, opening one for Thanksgiving does allow you to enjoy it throughout the holiday season and well into the winter with your closest friends and family.

Utopias aside, part of the fun of pairing beer and cider with Thanksgiving is that you can afford to explore, buy a few different bottles and see what ends up empty first. Have you found any Turkey day beer and cider favorites? Recommend them in the comments section below.

Still not sure what to drink on Thanksgiving? Check out our page full of wine, beer, cider, and cocktail picks for the holiday!

About the author: Christopher Lehault is a Brooklyn based homebrewer, cider evangelist and craft beer documentarian. When not viewing the world through the bottom of his glass, he's looking at it through his lens at idrunkthat.com. Follow his cider adventures on twitter at @bittersharp.

Sam Adams Utopias and and Eve's Cidery Blackthorn Hollow Dry were provided as samples for review consideration. All other bottles were lovingly donated from our home collections in the name of science.

[Candy corn photo: Brent Hofacker on Shutterstock]

You had the decapitated mannequin in the front yard. The spooky lighting was lit. The creepy sound effects record from the 1960s was blaring from the turntable. You donned your demon surgeon costume, complete with bloody bone saw. There was maybe even dry ice fog streaming from a basement window. You were set to scare the heck out of some unsuspecting trick-or-treaters and then reward their fearlessness with a bounty of sugary treats. The only problem was, not many kids showed up.

Now what? You're stuck with buckets and bags full of candy. Might as well throw a party and serve all that candy with beer.

A Few General Pointers

The task at hand is to find the best beer to go with each type of treat.

Finding the right beer to go with Halloween candy is not exactly like setting up pairings for truffles, crêpes and crème brûlée. Halloween candy is so monstrously sugary that you need a pretty hefty beer to stand up to it. The old pairing adage of keeping the beer sweeter than the dessert is nearly impossible.

Instead, the best-tasting results will be from beers with some sweetness that also have a bit of moderating contrast from roasty malt or sourness. Too much bitterness, especially from hops, creates some horrifying combinations.

I've broken down your standard Halloween candy in a few different categories, with pairing tips for each group.

Candy Bars

[Photo: Lee Zalben]

Let's start with Snickers. The pairing is easy: grab a milk stout. The beer's bitter roast cuts the sugar even as the nutty candy's sweetness pulls out the caramel in the beer. The salty nuts pop out on top. It's a beautiful thing.

Say you're drowning in Milky Way bars. Here are two suggestions: the same milk stout you've got above is a good choice here as well. Another good option is English barleywine. Hops provide the contrast, but they are mild enough to avoid becoming harsh. Rich, caramel malt does a delightful danse macabre with the creamy nougat.

A wafer bar like Kit Kat is perfect with a brown ale aged in a bourbon barrel. Barrel aging adds nice vanilla overtones that tie in beautifully to the vanilla flavoring of the crispy wafer center.

Peanut Butter

[Photograph: Victor Sizemore]

You can't talk about peanut butter candy without starting with Reese's Cups. And luckily, they're awesome with beer. Try the nutty treat with chocolaty sweet or imperial stout. The basis for the pairing is right there in the Reese's marketing; chocolate and peanut butter are two great tastes that taste great together.

A more interesting pairing to the classic peanut butter cup is a sweetened fruit lambic. These gently tart dessert beers bring a refreshing contrast to the salty sweet candy. It's like eating a PB&J on chocolate bread.

Sour and Fruity

[Photo: Maggie Hoffman]

Though it's tricky to pair sour and fruity candy with spirits, these puckering sweets are stupendous with Flemish red ales. In fact, of all the pairings we tried, these were my favorites. But be ready to have your head blown off by the intensity of these combinations. The first thing to hit is jaw-locking sourness. Once that subsides, your mouth is flooded by a tsunami of juicy fruit.

The combination of these candies with a citrusy, American IPA brings a flavor sensation that is nearly as intense, but emphasizes bitter rather than sour. That familiar grapefruit hop flavor goes from being merely grapefruit-like to so closely resembling the real thing that you might be tricked into believing you were drinking unsweetened juice. But amplified bitterness is at the center of this pairing and it's not for the faint of heart.

Candy Corn

[Candy corn photograph: David P. Smith on Shutterstock]

Candy corn gets its buttery taste from a flavoring chemical called diacetyl. This makes it a perfect match to English ESB, which often has subtle notes of diacetyl as well. The buttery, toffee character of the malt is just right with the flavor of the candy. Grassy hops and firm bitterness provide just enough balance to cut the sugar.

This buttery candy also works well with American or English IPAs, making the citrusy hops pop and pulling out the otherwise hidden malt. The combination brings in interesting floral notes that aren't present in the beer alone.

Some Beers to Try

Stouts

Brau Brothers Moo Joos: This silky oatmeal milk stout has rich chocolaty flavors and just a bit of bitter roast.

Left Hand Milk Stout: Cocoa and bittersweet chocolate form the flavor center of this beer from Colorado.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout: This one's thick and a little bit sweet; it tastes like chocolate covered espresso beans.

Bourbon-Barrel Brown Ale

Tyranena Rocky's Revenge: Half of what goes into this beer is aged in bourbon barrels, giving it loads of creamy vanilla flavors, but only subtle bourbon.

Pale Ales and IPAs

Lagunitas IPA: It's bold and bitter with loads of grapefruit hop flavor. It works perfectly with those fruit candies.

Fuller's ESB: This is the original ESB. The toffee malt and grassy hops are deepened by hints of yeast-derived buttery flavors.

Sour Beers

Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge: This amazing Flemish red ale brings tart and funky flavors that change with every sip.

Rodenbach Classic: A little less tart and woody than Rodenbach Grand Cru, Classic still brings the signature Rodenbach fruit and funk.

Lindemans Framboise: The quintessential sweetened lambic, Framboise is loaded with juicy raspberry. It's sweet, but still retains just a bit of the sour.

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this fall from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

[Photo: Maggie Hoffman]

I can't tell you how many times I've heard brewers and beer-drinkers alike say, "I don't care for brown ales. They're boring." If you ask me, this dismissal of the style is undeserved. A well-made brown is a symphony of toffee, nuts, and toast. Chocolate notes provide the bass line, while moderate hop bitterness brings a brassy middle. The high notes are played by grassy, earthy or citrusy hop flavors that dance delicately on top. Far from boring, good brown ales are lovely beers; not too heavy and not too roasty—perfect for the in-between weather of fall.

Brown ales are also great with fall foods, when meals start to take on a little more heft; not quite the hearty comfort food of winter, but also not the corn salads of summer. It's harvest time. Root veggies and winter squash start to enter the vocabulary. The in-between flavors of brown ale match perfectly to the culinary character of fall.

Cheese

[Photo: Maggie Hoffman]

Brown ales are among my favorite beers to pair with cheese. They are fantastic with the nutty flavors of hard cheeses like aged Gouda or young Comte. They stand up well with milder cheddars and blue cheeses. Here are a few tips for filling your cheese plate.

One of my favorite beer/cheese pairings of all time is Surly Bender with Pleasant Ridge Reserve, an award-winning, raw-milk cheese from Uplands Dairy in Wisconsin. Nutty notes in the cheese speak to the nutty and roasty flavors in the beer. Grassiness from the grass-fed cow's milk complements the hops, while Bender's light caramel picks up the cheese's buttery, sweet-cream. Carbonation and hops leave your palate cleansed and ready for the next cheese. The angels sing for me when I taste this combination.

The balanced flavors of Sierra Nevada's fall seasonal Tumbler work well with a mild blue cheese like Mycella. The cheese is less salty than some, so it doesn't overpower the beer. The light roast and grassy hops pull out the cheese's tang and funk. The nutty/toffee notes in this beer also make it a great match for the nuttiness and soft fruit of a mild cheddar like Prairie Breeze.

More intensely-flavored, aged, hard cheeses can take a bigger brown ale. Try Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale with an aged Gouda. It's got the nuts and the toast, along with some dark chocolate and dark fruit flavors to pull out the nutty and fruity complexities in the cheese.

Meat

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

American-style brown ales have a hopped up profile and robust, nutty/roasty flavor that makes them ideal with grilled red meats. Try Bell's Best Brown or Moose Drool Brown Ale with a rare, grilled steak. The surface char grabs hold of the roasted malt while caramel notes massage the sinewy sweetness of the meat. Don't forget to crack some coarse black pepper on the steak to really ace the pairing.

Northern English brown ales have a less intense profile that favors caramel, nut, and toast flavors over roasty ones. The malt is balanced by moderate bitterness and light grassy or earthy hops. While these beers will stand up to a steak, I prefer them with milder meats. Wychwood Hobgoblin is nice with grilled sausages. Try the old standby Newcastle Brown Ale with an herb-rubbed lamb chop. The herbs tie in nicely to the hops in this beer.

One more excellent option: brown ale and a roast beef sandwich. Add a bit of horseradish sauce and a mild cheddar cheese and it's even better. A lighter American-style brown like Brooklyn Brown Ale works here, as does a classic English brown like Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. The earthy spice of horseradish speaks to the subtle earthiness of the hops. The grainy toast and roast offer a complement to the beef. A bit of caramel sweetness ties it all together.

Fall Veggies

[Photo: Carrie Vasios]

The change of seasons brings with it a bounty of sweet winter squash and earthy root vegetables. While a sweeter beer like doppelbock might be my first instinct when I think of these seasonal foods, a brown ale can work just as well—or better.

All you really need is a pan full of vegetables and a hot oven, but if you're looking to get a little more complex, try a gratin of acorn squash and wild rice. Acorn squash mixes its buttery sweetness with a subtle nuttiness that works well with a brown. But it's the wild rice that really sells the pairing. It pulls out the nutty notes in the beer—try a caramel-laced brew like Smuttynose Old Dog Brown Ale. The nutty flavors of New Glarus Fat Squirrel also pair brilliantly.

Sausage and rutabaga baked with gruyere is another great fall-veggie pairing for brown ale. The rutabagas bring an earthy sweetness that touches on the subtle flavors of earthy English hops, while gruyere adds nutty undertones. Try this with Avery Ellie's Brown Ale or Goose Island Nut Brown Ale.

These are only a few suggestions, though. What's your favorite brown ale? What do you like to eat with it?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, to be published by the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

Pumpkin beers are simultaneously the most beloved and most reviled concoctions in the pantheon of seasonal brews. Folks either love 'em or hate 'em, and they do both with a passion. Witness this response to an internet query about what foods to pair with pumpkin beer: "I'd suggest another seasonal treat—candy corn, since candy corn is to real corn as pumpkin beer is to real beer."

But pumpkin beer can be an ideal pairing for some of our favorite autumn meals. There are, of course, a wide range of brews, though most tend to stick with amber-colored, malt-forward recipes, with prominent caramel and nutty flavors. Some of these beers are spiked with clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice, and many amplify the pumpkin flavor with the addition of butternut (or other) squash. Others simply leave out the squash, letting spices alone give the impression of pumpkin pie. Pumpkin beers range from moderate 5% lagers to 10% behemoth ales, or bigger.

Want to plan a meal around your favorite pumpkin beer? Read on for my tips.

Savory

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Pumpkin pie is the natural ending to the traditional fall feast of roasted fowl and trimmings. But with pumpkin beer you don't have to wait until the meal is done. The luscious caramel and brown sugar malt flavors at the center of most pumpkin beers is an excellent match for the browned skin on a roast turkey or duck. Earthy-sweet squash spices bring both complement and counterpoint to the herbal earthiness of stuffing.

I recommend beers that lean heavily on caramel flavors to make this pairing work. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale from the St. Louis Brewery is one of my absolute favorites. Southern Tier's Pumking is another good choice. It's a big beer at nearly 9% alcohol, but it's loaded with buttery caramel, hazelnut, and pumpkin pie spice. Jolly Pumpkin's La Parcela offers a unique pairing option with the leathery funk of Brettanomyces yeast strains. You won't taste much pumpkin in this most non-traditional of pumpkin ales, but you will get hints of caramel and spice that tie in well with the food.

If you're roasting up some root vegetables (with our without a bird) the earthy sweetness and nutmeg/allspice of pumpkin beer make it a wise choice for pairing. Try Sam Adams' small-batch release Fat Jack Double Pumpkin with rutabaga gratin made with a béchamel that includes a dash of allspice and nutmeg. The beer is heavy on nutmeg that will really pull out those background spicy flavors from the dish. New Holland's Ichabod Ale is another spicy option that would work well here.

Spicy

Goat mole rojo [Photograph: Marcus Nillson]]

Pumpkin is believed to have originated in Central America. The oldest pumpkin seeds were found in a Mexican tomb dating back 7000 years. The Aztecs are known to have used the gourd as both ritual offering and food. With all that pumpkin history, how can pumpkin beer not be a hit with the food flavors of the region?

The dusky, chocolate-tinged flavors of mole are a great match to some of the darker pumpkin beers. Tommyknocker Small Batch Pumpkin Ale is an unusual brown ale made with pumpkins and spice. It's got the caramel and pie spice, but with additional layers of gentle roast that make it a great match for any meaty mole dish.

The Food Lab's chili [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

For me, the arrival of the cool autumn breeze marks the beginning of chili season. And pumpkin beer is the perfect partner for a number of versions of this classic dish.

When I was growing up my mom made the chili recipe from the iconic, red-checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Variations on that recipe are what I make to this day. It relies on heavy doses of cloves to give it an interesting, spicy kick. That unusual addition makes it play well with spicier pumpkin beers like Lakefront Pumpkin Lager. The beer has a zesty cinnamon aroma that's reminiscent of Red Hots candy and plenty of balancing caramel malt in the flavor. The crisp lager finish gives it some refreshing, palate-cleansing power. Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale also has spice that comes in strong in the finish, making it another good match for chili, whether you go for Kenji's recipe or another from your family tradition.

Sweet

Caramel Flan [Photograph: María del Mar Sacasa]

Let's not forget dessert. The flavors of pumpkin and spice are great with chocolate. Try Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale with cinnamon-spiced, super-dark chocolate truffles. This beer has it all: caramel, grain, cinnamon, and background flavors of cocoa.

If you're thinking of a creamier dessert, consider pairing Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale with a caramel flan like this one. This malty brew has nice brown-sugar flavors and the spice won't overpower your custard.

Are you dreaming up a pumpkin-beer based dinner party? What dishes would you include? Got a favorite pumpkin beer to recommend? Let us know in the comments. Want to brew your own beer to celebrate gourd season? Here's our homebrewing recipe.

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this fall from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

[Photograph: Ethan Prater on Flickr]

With the release of seasonal beers being pushed ever earlier on the calendar, mid-August usually marks the appearance of Oktoberfest on the shelves. I even saw one in mid-July this year. While some will grouse about this seasonal-creep, I don't mind so much. I would gladly drink Oktoberfest beers all year long.

The style as we know it was invented around 1840 as an adaptation of the then-popular Vienna Lager style. Also called Märzen—German for March—it was traditionally brewed in the spring to mark the end of what was at the time Germany's legal brewing season. Stored in cold caves, Märzenbier was consumed through the summer. Come fall, the remaining stock was drunk to celebrate the harvest and the start of new brewing season.

This German-style amber lager has a malt-forward profile that showcases the toasty, caramel-like flavors of melanoidin, an aromatic compound resulting from the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction between sugar, amino acids, and heat that occurs when malt is kilned. This same reaction is responsible for the flavors in many foods—consider crispy toast and well-seared meat. Sharing these flavors in common helps make Oktoberfest beers extraordinarily compatible with many different foods.

Grilled, Roasted, Dry-Rubbed, and Baked

[Photograph: Joshua Bousel]

Oktoberfest is a great accompaniment to grilled, roasted, dry-rubbed, and baked meats, especially pork. These cooking methods all bring out those toasty flavors that create resonance with the Oktoberfest beers.

Grilled pork chops are the perfect partner for Märzen beers—here's a recipe to try. Pork chops are actually fairly lightweight, so the sweet flavor of pork is a one to one match with the lager in terms of intensity. The golden brown crust that appears around the edges and in the grill-marks of a well-prepared pork chop gives a great tie-in to the toasty/caramel malt flavor in the beer. Rub the chop with herbs to pull out a subtle German hop character from the beer.

You should also try Märzenbiers with a roasted pork roast or loin. Again, the browning that occurs during roasting will tie into the toasty melanoidin flavors in the beer and the beer's sweetness pulls out some sweetness from the meat. Cook it with onions, carrots, and parsnips for an even better match.

You can also pair Oktoberfest beers with dry-rubbed ribs—either beef or pork. The beer's malty sweetness counters a spicy rub and builds harmony with a sweeter one. Herbs and spices in the rub sit well with spicy hops. When finished on a grill, ribs pick up a toasty crust that melds nicely with the toasty taste of the beer. There's that Maillard reaction again.

The sweet and salty pairing of baked ham with Märzenbiers amps up the beer's refreshing bitterness and complements its natural sweetness. Try this recipe from The Food Lab.

Try Tomato Sauce

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

The malty-sweet profile of Oktoberfest provides a tasty counterpoint to the acidity of tomato-based Italian dishes, and the toasty malt and spicy hops can tie into the savory elements of the dish.

Oktoberfest beers are awesome with any tomato-sauce topped pizza. The yeasty crust latches onto the malty core, and the beer's slight sweetness cuts the acidity of the sauce. Top it off with mushrooms, onions, and grilled peppers, plus sweet or spicy Italian sausage. (I recently had a bratwurst pizza at a brewpub in Green Bay, Wisconsin; topped with bratwurst, sauerkraut, spicy mustard, and mozzarella cheese. While not tomato-based, it was a surprisingly delicious treat and would be a perfect soulmate to a Märzen.)

Pasta Bolognese works in the same way, balancing sugar and acid, plus herbs and spices that complement to the beer's subtly spicy hops.

South of the Border

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

For a brief time in the 19th-century, Mexico was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There were a lot of Germans and Austrians living there, and they brought their beers with them. In fact, Oktoberfest's cousin, Vienna Lager, survived as a style in Mexico long after it had died out in Austria.

I especially like Oktoberfest with lighter Mexican fare like tacos and tostadas. Carefully warmed tortillas are a toasty tie-in to the beer. Oktoberfest and pork are natural companions, so try some carnitas tacos with your favorite Märzen. (You can make an awesome version at home with Kenji's recipe.) Sweet pork complements the malt while the flowery flavor of cilantro plays with the hops. Add a dash of pico de gallo for a bit of acidic contrast.

Oktoberfest Beers You Should Try

At this time of year store shelves are flooded with Oktoberfest beers both imported and domestic. Great examples aren't hard to find. These are a few of my favorites.

Imported

Ayinger Oktoberfest-Märzen: This extraordinary example from the Heller-Trum brewery in Aying, Germany near Munich is my hands-down favorite. It's delectably malty with caramel and toasty flavors, but perfectly balanced.

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Märzen: Caramel and toast are at the forefront, but floral hops and moderate bitterness provide a subtle counterpoint. Light body and a crisp, lager finish keep it superbly drinkable.

Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen: Bready malt up front is supported by a background of caramel. A touch of herbal hops and gentle bitterness provide some balance. It finishes beautifully clean and crisp.

Domestic

Schell's Oktoberfest: A two-time GABF silver medal winner, this is a great example of the style. A slight tilt in favor of caramel-like melanoidins gives it rich flavor and full body.

Left Hand Oktoberfest: At a comparatively high 6.6% ABV this is a true "fest" style Oktoberfest beer. Biscuity-caramel malt leads the way to a refreshingly dry finish. Light herbal hops ride over the top.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest: Light, well-balanced, and extremely drinkable are good descriptors for this beer. It boasts a delicate interplay of malt and hops in which malt just comes out the winner. The finish is dry with a touch of lingering toffee. It's a good example of the style that is available everywhere.

These are some of my favorite pairings with Oktoberfest beers. What do you like to eat with this seasonal treat?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this fall from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

[Photograph: Michael Agnew]

It was sometime around midnight at the start of the fifth South Park episode of the night when the hunger began to take hold. I remember saying something like "I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe we should drive..." Then suddenly there was the terrible realization that we'd been drinking all night and nobody was going to drive anywhere. Swooping and screeching and diving into cupboards, we searched the kitchen for something to eat. The situation was desperate. We needed junk food. A convenience-store stumble was our only hope.

Binge bags in hand we staggered home intent on silencing the ravenous hunger that had pushed us out the door. More beer was needed too. But what to drink with chips and cheese puffs? What would not just quench the thirst but actually taste awesome with our junk-food haul? And that's when things got weird...

The Pairing Parameters

If you're in this situation, you're probably going to reach for whatever bottles happen to be in your fridge...but let's assume you've got some good beer in there. Instead of recommending specific beers to pair, I'll stick instead with broad groups of brews, some of which you might already have on hand: pilsner, hefeweizen, porter, stout...There are a couple of wild-cards thrown in for fun.

I also broke the snacks into some basic flavor categories; ranch (that's Cool Ranch to you), cheese (which includes cheese flavored nachos, Cheese Fix Munchies, and cheese puffs), barbecue, funyun (whatever flavor that really is), and "flamin' hot." If you find other junky snacks with the same basic flavors as the pairings below, the suggested beers will be a good place to start. To compare textures I included a variety of calorie delivery modes including potato chips, nachos, puffs, rings, and fries. It's all junk, and it all goes with beer.

A Few Basic Tips

You might be surprised, but a bit of classic pairing advice actually applies to the junk food example. For instance, most cheese-flavored snacks are vaguely cheddar-like. Things that work with cheddar cheese, such as IPA and stout, also taste good with cheesy (or cheezy) snacks. Beers that you might normally pair with barbecue, like stout or a Belgian dubbel, will elevate your barbecue chips, too.

It's worth considering texture, too. Puffed snacks dissolve to slime in your mouth. You need a beer with hops or bubbles to clear away the goo. The same is true for Chester Fries, which leave behind a greasy film. Potato chips have a delicate crunch that doesn't want a heavy beer. Nachos and Sun Chips are coarser and can take a bit of heft.

While not great with everything, IPA proved to be the most versatile junk-food beer overall. It's a good palate cleanser and can handle lighter and coarser textures. The hoppy flavors work well with cheese, barbecue, pork, and "flamin' hot." Keep it away from Cool Ranch, though.

Cheese Puffs

[Photo: Robyn Lee]

IPA and stout are your best bets here. Both make the dusting of cheese-powder taste just a little more like actual cheese. A hoppy, American IPA is the perfect palate cleanser to scrape away any residue the puffs leave behind. The citrusy hop flavors bring out a tangy note from the snack. The stout/puff combination emphasizes roast, pushing the cheese flavor a bit to the background. The black malt bitterness pulls out a salty edge.

Funyuns

What an odd flavor the Funyun has. The key for matching it with beer? hops. Many American hop varieties have an undertone of chive that sparks the connection between IPA and Funyuns. The chive notes come through clearly with these oddly-onion rings, balanced out with the citrusy side of the hops. It's a magically peculiar melding of flavors.

Don't like IPA? Try Pilsner with your Funyuns. It's a neutral enough brew that it won't clash with the onions, and the spicy/floral hop notes in this beer have enough going on to carry on a strangely interesting conversation with the snacks.

Cool Ranch Doritos

[Photo: Daniel Souza]

These chips have surprisingly subtle herbal flavors and a lactic tang. The fruit and spice of a classic hefeweizen is the perfect partner. That bubble-gum mixture of clove and bananas ties in beautifully with the herba ranch flavor. Chip and beer both have a similarly light, yet mouth-filling texture. And the hefeweizen's fizz washes it all away.

Chester's Flamin' Hot Fries

While the moniker "flamin' hot" might be an exaggeration, there is a bit of a spicy kick to these. A bitter IPA offers citrus and spice that plays well with the snack, and somehow tones things down rather than fanning the flames. The IPA also took away the mouth-coating, greasy film that the fries left behind.

Barbecue Potato Chips

[Photograph: BBQ potato chips on Shutterstock]

The thing with barbecue chips is that they give you the sauce without the meat. You get the molasses, tomato, and spices without the toast and the char. Pairing them with a porter adds that missing piece, bringing a roasty, bitter contrast to the sweetness of the chip flavor. The chip's seasoning also highlights molasses notes in the beer—they're delicious together.

Belgian dubbel also makes for a tasty combination, if you happen to have any on hand. The emphasis here is on sweet and spice, with deep, dark-fruit notes coming through from both chip and brew.

Cheese Fix Munchies

For those unfamiliar with the Munchies, they are a conglomeration of different Frito-Lay snacks all brought together in one bag. You have the grainy flavor and texture of Sun Chips, the salty blandness of pretzels, the firm crunch of Cheetos, and corny-crisp Doritos, all lightly dusted with a salty, cheesy substance. Which is to say, there's a lot going on.

Once again IPA is the beer to reach for, working well with everything in the mix. It stands up to the heavier textures without overwhelming the lighter ones. It brings out the tangy cheese flavors and amps up the salt. Our second-favorite option was stout which is particularly nice with the cheese-dusted elements in the mix and has dark malt flavors to complement the all-grain flavors of the Sun Chips.

Have You Tried It?

What's your favorite beer and snack combination to quell that late-night craving?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this fall from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

Editor's Note: We like beer. We like food. But if you're drinking something special, and want to make sure your food helps it shine, some tips might come in handy. Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is here to help.

[Photograph: Sarah Postma]

Riddle me this. What beer style manages stratospheric alcohol content while simultaneously remaining fresh enough for summer sipping? Belgian tripel, that's what.

Of all the Belgian beer styles, tripel is perhaps my favorite. These beers boast bodacious amounts of booze—up to around 10%—and yet they are so darn drinkable. The secret is sugar. Belgian brewers don't shy from the use of simple sugars, including cane sugar. Unlike barley sugars, these saccharine adjuncts are 100% fermentable, boosting alcohol while keeping the body of the beer light. But that makes these beers a little sneaky. You can pretty easily knock back two or three—just be careful when you stand up.

The style is not an ancient one. It was invented by the monks at Westmalle in the 1930s. There are a number of explanations for why it's called "tripel." I think the best explanation lies with relative strength; Belgian single being the weakest, dubbel in the middle, and tripel rolling out with the highest ABVs. But as with all things in Belgian brewing, there is some overlap between the styles.

What can be said is that beers called tripel are golden in color and highly carbonated. They can range from sharply bitter to somewhat sweet, but all of them finish remarkably dry. That distinctive banana-and-spice blend of Belgian yeast is there; it reminds me a bit of cotton candy. There are often herbal flavors, too, and delicate stone-fruit notes like apricot complete the picture.

So what does one eat with a tripel?

Boldly Basil

[Photograph: Erin Jackson]

Tripels love basil. You're good to go with anything pesto. Whip up a simple pasta dish with sautéed veggies, Swiss chard, and a pesto cream sauce. Pair it with Maredsous 10. Herb and spice flavors in the beer merge with the pesto while the mid-palate sweetness grabs hold of the veggies. High carbonation clears away the cream.

Tripels also love shellfish, and shellfish loves basil. Try a shrimp margherita pizza with the Allagash Tripel Reserve. The booze and bubbles will tackle the cheese, but the light body and light flavors won't overwhelm the pie.

For something spicier, go with Thai dishes like spicy basil chicken. Alcohol can sometimes become hot in the presence of spice, so Chimay Cinq Cents at 8% is a good choice with this zippy dish.

Ham and Cheese

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Belgian Tripels absolutely sing with honey glazed ham. Sweeter versions of the style often have flavors reminiscent of the syrup that comes with canned peaches. It's a stellar complement to the glaze and an even better contrast to the salt. Dark Horse Sapient Trip Ale Belgian Tripel leans a bit sweet and makes a perfect partner for a ham steak at dinner or a ham and Swiss sandwich at lunch.

Tripels are also good with cured hams like prosciutto. They stand up well to the gamey, concentrated flavors of these meats. Pair the ham with a ripe triple crème brie and a glass of St. Feuillien Tripel for a match made in heaven.

Troublesome Veggies

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

The unusual flavors of brussel sprouts and asparagus always cause trouble when picking drinks. These veggies make wine people wince. But Belgian tripels have enough sweetness to balance a bitter sprout. Their herbal overtones and funky, fruity flavors do a dance with the, well...asparagus flavor of asparagus. Brussel sprouts are a natural with the sweet side of Weyerbacher Merry Monks Tripel. Try asparagus with the sharp and bitter Westmalle Tripel. It's the original and still the best. For an even better pairing, use sweet white asparagus and wrap it in ham.

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

[Photograph: Annabelle Breakey]

Desserts that highlight stone fruits like apricots and peaches pair well with the stone fruit flavors and yeast character of Belgian tripels. Victory Golden Monkey is particularly heavy in those peachy flavors. It's the perfect pairing for peach cobbler. Try La Trappe Tripel with Amaretto apricot torte. The apricots and apricot almond liqueur hit all the right notes with the beer. Nutty desserts like pecan pie are also rockin' with tripels—keep a bottle or two on hand for Thanksgiving!

For a truly OMG pairing after dinner, try caramelized orange cheesecake with Tripel Karmeliet. Karmeliet has citrusy overtones with an unusual orange bent, and the two merge together until they're one amazing set of flavors.

These suggestions only scratch the surface of the pairing potential of Belgian tripel. Do you like this style of beer? What are your favorite foods to pair with it?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this fall from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

It's hot! I don't want to sound like I'm whining, but really, it's hot. Even here in chilly Minnesota this season has been one for the record books. I think I need a beer; something crisp, light, lively and refreshing to ease the oppressive summer swelter.

Saison is the perfect choice. Its roots as a farmhouse ale, traditionally brewed with whatever ingredients were at hand on the farmstead, make it a notoriously difficult style to pin down. Saisons can be black, amber, or nearly white. Some are strong, some are not. More than a few have the flavor twist of added spices, fruit, or wild yeast. The range is huge, but most modern saisons display a few common characteristics. They are almost universally very dry and super effervescent. Bitterness is fairly high. Pronounced spicy hop flavors complement the peppery spice and stone fruit notes of Belgian and French yeast strains. They are also superbly refreshing.

All of those factors help make saisons especially well-suited to pairing with food. They're robust enough to take on full flavored dishes, but are still light enough for a hot day. The complex blend of yeasty fruit and spice complements a wide range of dishes from spicy Asian and Middle-Eastern to grilled red meat. The high fizz factor and sharp bitterness make them awesome palate cleansers. But one word of caution: don't go too light with the food or this beer will blow it away.

Farmhouse Ales for Farmhouse Foods

[Photograph: Blake Royer]

Rustic beers call for rustic foods, and French provincial cuisine is a great choice. A simple roasted chicken with garlic and herbs calls out for an easy-going table saison like Dupot Avril. At just 3.5% alcohol it really is a lightweight. It won't get in the way of the dish. Grassy and floral flavors latch into the herbs in the dish.

Bouillabaisse and saison are another highly recommended matchup. From shellfish to fennel to saffron, the flavors of this classic French stew find harmonic convergence with Saison Dupont Vieille Provision, the classic Belgian saison. Peppery yeast and spicy/floral hops work with the dish's spicier side, while overtones of citrus and stone fruit pick up the orange zest that seasons the soup.

Wine is notoriously tough to pair with salads because of the vinegar involved, but saison has no such trouble. Try Goose Island Sofie with a salad of mesclun greens and arugula. The beer is delicate enough that it won't overpower the salad, and the yeast-derived spice nicely complements the peppery greens.

Funky Fromage

[Photograph: Jessica Leibowitz]

Saisons are delicious with creamy, bloomy-rind cheeses. Try Ommegang Hennepin with Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog. This gentle but still full-flavored beer harmonizes well with this delicate ripened goat cheese. Spicy, fruity, and earthy flavors in the beer latch on to the herbaceous, earthy tang of the cheese. And saison is fizzy enough to tackle the gooey cheese and clean your palate as you go.

Try a Brettanomyces-inflected saison like Fantôme Saison, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière, or Boulevard Saison Brett with funkier cheeses like Meadow Creek Grayson, an aromatic washed-rind cheese from Virginia that is reminiscent of Italian Taleggio. It's funk meets funk.

A Little Bit of Spice

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

The spicy side of saison makes it a great partner for aromatic Asian or Middle-Eastern dishes. The peppery and fruity yeast character along with spices that are sometimes added to these beers provides both complement and contrast to these cuisines.

Try Saint Somewhere Saison Aethene with pad thai. Lemongrass, ginger, and clove in the beer provide an extra layer of complementary flavors to the pairing. Don't be afraid to add some chili paste to the dish. The flavors meld beautifully with the yeast and the bubbles will wash away any lingering heat and oil.

Middle Eastern foods are built on complex combinations of flavors like honey, mint, cumin and coriander. The spicy/sweet/fruity profiles of Boulevard's Tank 7 Saison or Unibroue Blonde de Chambly complement and brighten shawarma with hummus and tahini. Spicy cumin and pepper notes in the beers tie in perfectly with similar flavors in the dish. Flavors of honey and fruit like apricots and pears give a sweet contrast.

Give Me the Meat

[Photograph: Blake Royer]

Though light and refreshing, saison is beefy enough to stand up to grilled red meat. Try The Bruery's Saison Rue with a cracked-pepper encrusted steak. It's all about the pepper in this pairing. The peppery notes of the saison yeast get an extra boost from rye malt in the grist.

You can't go wrong pairing saison with charcuterie. Saison Silly and Blaugies Saison d'Epeautre both have a balance of spice and fruit with underlying honey sweetness that will complement a wide range of smoked, cured, and confited meats. The fizzy finish will scrub your palate clean.

With a beer so food-friendly, the pairing possibilities are wide open. Tell us: what is your favorite food to eat with a nice saison?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, and the City Pages Hot Dish Blog. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this fall from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

[Photograph: rojoimages on iStockphoto]

Fire up the grill and break out the beer, the 4 of July is nearly here! Independence Day is the ultimate cookout day; family and friends gathered in the backyard, food, fun, and fireworks. Plus, the day wouldn't be complete without a cold brew (or three) to wash down all that grilled meat.

Here are a few pointers to help you make the most of your patriotic pairings.

The Basics

[Photo: Joshua Bousel]

To start off, you're going to want a good all-purpose beer, something flavorful enough to satisfy your beer-loving relations but non-offensive to the uninitiated. It should be fairly light weight, refreshing for a hot day and flexible enough to go with a wide variety of foods. Pilsners are extraordinarily versatile food-wise and fairly easy for even light-beer drinkers to embrace. Victory Prima Pils is one of the best you can get in the States. For something a little maltier and richer, go with Lagunitas Pils.

Brats and hot dogs call for lighter beers that won't overwhelm their somewhat delicate flavors. For beer, choose German and American wheat beers—weissbier and wurst is a classic combination in Germany. The fruity and spicy flavors from yeast in these beers help the sweet/smoky/spicy flavors of grilled sausages come through, as well as holding up against sweet and tangy toppings. American wheat beers often lack that spicy yeast character, but still offer the bready sweetness of wheat. With a clean, sharp profile Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen is one classic to try. From Germany, seek out Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier and Ayinger Bräu-Weisse.

Burgers require something a little beefier when it comes to beer. Some toasty caramel flavors will tie in nicely with the caramelized crust on the patty. Anchor Steam has the perfect profile; caramel underneath with woody hops on top. It'll tackle the beef, the toppings, and leave your palate clean in the end. For a pairing with a bit more zip try Mirror Pond Pale Ale from Deschutes in Oregon. It has the aggressive bitterness and citrusy hop flavors of an American pale ale with a slightly elevated caramel malt profile that recalls the English version of this style.

Smoked and Sauced

[Photo: Joshua Bousel]

If you're planning to impress your guests with a rack of saucy ribs, you'll need to step up your beer game a bit, too. Tangy sauce, spicy rub, and a caramelized crust on the meat means a complex symphony of flavors that need super-flavorful beers to match. Celebrator Doppelbock is pretty much the perfect match. Toasty-caramel malt and background hints of dark fruit serve to pull out molasses and brown sugar flavors from the sauce. The beer also has a wee bit of roast that adds a pleasant element of smoke to the mix. Another great option is Pepe Nero from Goose Island, a black saison brewed with black pepper. You get smoke from black malts, fruit from saison yeast, and a spicy kick from black pepper for a perfect tie-in to the ribs.

Tackling slow-smoked brisket instead? Pair smoke with smoke by pouring Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen. This traditional German smoked lager showcases bacony flavors with underlying caramel malt and just a touch of spicy hops. It's hard to find a more meat-friendly brew.

Another great option for ribs or brisket is a tangy IPA. Choose one with a stronger malt backbone that will speak to the caramelization of the meat and the sweeter elements in the sauce. Founders Centennial IPA is ideal; it has nice caramel and biscuit-like malt underneath a bright foreground of citrusy hops. Bear Republic Racer 5 is another good option.

Don't Forget Your Veggies

[Photo: Roger Kamholz]

Although some of us might like to try, we can't survive on meat alone. If you're grilling vegetables, wash them down with a smooth Vienna lager. Abita Amber and Metropolitan Dynamo Copper Lager both have malty sweetness up front that pairs well to the sweetness of grilled vegetables. A kiss of toast talks to the light charring.

As American as Apple Pie

[Photo: Lauren Weisenthal]

After the grilling is done, I like to serve an all-American apple pie for dessert. To drink? Stouts offer a bitter contrast to the sweet pie, just like a cup of coffee does. I like a sweeter stout that still has the coffee-like roast, but with a touch of sugar underneath. Left Hand Milk Stout is a good choice. You could also try Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. The oatmeal used in the brew gives a subtle creamy tie-in to the crust.

If you're feeling a little more adventurous, try an English IPA for a bittersweet contrast with your dessert. English IPAs have a little less hop and a little more caramel malt. That extra malt acts like caramel sauce on the pie while the hops provide a bitter, fruity counterpoint. Samuel Smith's India Ale is a great example.

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. He is the author of an upcoming travel guide to breweries in the upper Midwest, due out this fall from the University of Illinois Press. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

Editor's Note: You've stocked up on your favorite style of beer. But what food will help it taste even better? Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is here to help.

In my world, Pilsner is the perfect beer. Poured into a tall, tapered glass and capped with a fluffy inch of white foam, its brilliant golden hue has a way of making me seriously thirsty. Pilsner manages to be at once sharp and delicate; the spicy bite of hops is bold, but not so bold that it overwhelms your palate or the graham-cracker-malty flavors underneath.

Pilsner is also an extremely versatile food beer. It's got enough spicy oomph to tackle Thai and other fiery Asian foods, but it also won't overwhelm more delicate dishes like shellfish or fresh goat cheese. It's great with burgers or barbecue and perfect with pizza. The hops and carbonation work to keep your palate clean. But it can also be a wonderful accompaniment to very light desserts.

Hors d'oeuvres

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Pilsner makes a great start to an evening full of beer and food. It's light, allowing you to move on to heavier beers as the session progresses. And it goes with a wide range of foods, so you won't need more than one beer to accompany a variety of starters.

Whether fried, Asian-spiced, or straight-up Buffalo, you can't beat pilsner with wings. Try a bitter Bitburger Pils with Jamaican jerk-seasoned flappers. The pairing starts with a spicy kick, but then the hops and fizz wash the heat away.

Pilsner sings with basil, so anything with pesto is a good bet. Or pour a Trumer Pils with classic tomato and mozzarella bruschetta sprinkled with basil chiffonade. The beer is light enough that it won't overwhelm a lightly-flavored fresh mozz, and the malt sweetness will balance acidity from the tomatoes.

While we're talking cheese, pilsner is perfect for those delicate fresh and younger bloomy-rind cheeses. It can even work with cheddar, but go with mild cheddar. Sharp and aged cheddars will overwhelm the beer. For a showstopping appetizer treat pair a maltier pilsner like Lagunitas Pils with baked brie, Serrano ham, and sliced apples.

Sandwiches

[Photograph: Kerry Saretsky]

If you're into pilsner, you should work on your grilled ham-and-cheese technique. The two are wonderful together—salty ham brings a fantastic counterpoint to the smooth malt and floral Saaz hops of the original golden lager, Pilsner Urquell. Make sure to buy the beer in cans—the green-bottle beer is very often skunked.

At a diner in central Wisconsin I recently enjoyed a delicious bratwurst Reuben; bratwurst, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island on marbled rye bread. This fantastically decadent sandwich cried out for a Schell's Pils from neighboring Minnesota. The late, great, beer writer Michael Jackson once called this beer "one of the best American examples of the pilsner style." It's sharp, clean, and bitter enough to clear away the copious fat in this sandwich. And who can argue with sauerkraut and pils?

Entrees

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Let's move onto the main course. Pilsner is one of the best beers to pair with sushi. Hop bitterness amps up the umami of soy sauce and raw fish. Spicy flavors in the beer latch on to the sinus-clearing sensation of wasabi. A lighter pilsner like Warsteiner will let the sushi shine while something maltier like Budweiser Budvar (Czechvar in the US) will offer a more even balance.

Spicy Thai and Vietnamese foods are also excellent with pilsner. A bowl of Bun Cha Gio, a Vietnamese noodle dish with veggies and eggroll, is wonderful with Sam Adams Noble Pils. Both are light with floral and spicy overtones and tiny hints of citrus. Add any meat you like to the dish, and don't forget the Sriracha.

Forget those watered-down Mexican lagers, a true pilsner is the way to go with food from south of the border. The fresh flavor of cilantro is well matched to the floral notes of Saaz hops in a Czech-style pils like New Belgium's Blue Paddle. A fat chicken burrito is the perfect partner for Victory Prima Pils—one of the best domestic pilsners available. The burrito's spices and salsa match the spicy flavors of German hops. This beer has the cutting power to get through even the pastiest refried beans.

Dessert

[Photograph: Lauren Weisenthal]

When you talk about serving beer with dessert, most people don't venture past sweeter porters and stouts. But paired with lighter dishes, pilsner can be an unexpected treat. Try it with a slice of pound cake or a handful of lemon shortbread cookies. Rhubarb season is coming to an end, but there is still some to be had. North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner and a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie are surprisingly simpatico. Crust and malt complement each other nicely, while fruit and hops bring a tasty contrast.

Consider these suggestions just starting points, and tell us: what do you like to eat with your favorite pilsner?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint

Editor's Note: Food is even better with beer, and beer's even better with food. But what will taste particularly delicious with each beer style? We asked Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew to help us sort it all out.

The official start of summer is still a month away, but in many places summery weather has already arrived. Even up here in the frozen north where I live, shorts weather is here. It's time to break out the wheat beers.

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.

Summery wheat beers come in three main types: American, Belgian witbier, and the cloudy German varieties hefeweizen and dunkelweizen. They're each a little different, and each one has its own particular strengths when pairing with food.

American Wheat Beer

[Photo: Erin Zimmer]

American wheat beers are perhaps the blandest of the bunch and also the least defined stylistically. They can be cloudy or brilliantly clear. Sometimes they are loaded with fruit flavors and sometimes there are none. On the beer flavor scale, many fall somewhere in the vicinity of American blond ale or cream ale with a bit of bready wheat sweetness and citrusy American hops.

American wheat beers are delicious to drink with fresh summer salads. They take well to the flavors of leafy greens, cucumbers, and bean sprouts. They can handle vinaigrette or creamy dressings. The addition of some boiled egg or sliced turkey and ham won't detract a bit from the pairing. Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat is a great choice with a hearty chef's salad, but go light on the stronger tasting cheeses. Stick with something more delicate like chevre or fresh mozzarella. If you want a beer with a bit more bite, pick up a bottle of Three Floyds Gumballhead. This hopped-up American wheat will chew through heavier cheddar.

Lighter fish are also a good match for American wheat beers. They are evenly matched in flavor and weight, and a squeeze of lemon will really set these beers off. Try a poached sole or halibut filet with Anchor Summer Ale. For a real treat add a citrus salsa and pair to Bell's Oberon. The salsa will tie into the orange flavors in the beer.

Belgian Witbier

[Photo: Jennifer Segal]

Belgian witbiers are the next step up the intensity scale for wheat beer flavor. Still super light, banana flavors from the Belgian yeast and the subtle use of coriander and bitter orange peel give these beers depth and complexity. They are refreshingly fruity with background hints of flowers and spice.

Witbiers are great with fruit salad. It couldn't be simpler. Cut up oranges, bananas, and melons, or whatever fruit you want, and serve it with a cold glass of Ommegang Witte. This beer has more pronounced orange flavor that will complement the salad beautifully.

Deeper flavors allow witbiers to stand up to slightly heartier foods. Wittekerke or Hoegaarden are classic with steamed mussels. You can even steam them in the beer. These beers work with other shellfish as well, like shrimp, clams, or lobster, especially if you add a squirt of lemon to the dish. The fizz in these beers will counteract the richness of the dish, whisking butter off your tongue.

You may not think of beer as a brunch drink, but eggs and wheat beers have a natural affinity. Try a bacon, sausage, or salmon omelet with Unibroue Blanche De Chambly. This beer has a slightly fuller body that can stand up to heavier foods.

German Wheat Beers

[Photo: Erin Zimmer]

German wheat beers are the ultimate expression of yeast in beer. The yeast-derived banana and clove flavors are what define them. Suspended yeast gives them their characteristic cloudiness. Yeast is so important to the flavor and mouthfeel of these beers that it's recommended to gently turn the bottles before pouring to rouse the sediment off the bottom. The classic hefeweizen has lemony highlights sitting on a bready base. The less common dunkelweizen, or dark wheat, has deeper caramel flavors with subtle hints of chocolate. Both are light and refreshing, but with a mouth-filling fullness that comes from wheat proteins and yeast.

Hefeweizen is a fantastically versatile food beer. It's light enough that it won't overpower salads, but that full mouthfeel make it able to stand up to heftier fare. The yeasty fruit and spice complement a wide range of food flavors. One place they really shine is with Mexican dishes. They work well with everything from flour tortillas to black beans, simple chicken to spicy barbacoa. And high carbonation lets them cut straight through cheese and guacamole. Try Franziskaner or Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier with tacos, burritos, or flautas. The darker flavors of dunkelweizen are perfect with the darker flavors of mole-smothered dishes. Try Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel with enchiladas.

German wheat beers are a Bavarian specialty, so they are a go-to pairing for cured meats, sausages, and hams. The classic combination is hefeweizen and weisswurst. This veal and bacon sausage is often seasoned with mace, lemon, and parsley. A perfect pairing would be Brooklyner Weisse from Brooklyn Brewing. For Wiener schnitzel with a dash of lemon, reach for Sierra Nevada Keller Weiss or Paulaner Hefe-Weizen. Switch to dunkelweizen for heavier dishes like Sauerbraten. Zigeuner schnitzel, breaded veal in a spicy tomato sauce with peppers, mushrooms, and paprika, is perfect with Ayinger Ur-Weisse.

A really special treat with dunkelweizen is a chunk of bacony smoked Gouda cheese. The combination really can't be beat.

Wheat beers are so versatile that the options for food pairings are almost endless. So tell me, what do you like to eat with wheat beers?

About the Author: Certified Cicerone Michael Agnew is the lead educator and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts beer tastings for private parties and corporate events. His beer musings can be read in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, his own Perfect Pint Blog, The Hop Press at Ratebeer.com, the City Pages Hot Dish Blog, and in respected national beer magazines. Follow him on Twitter at @aperfectpint