Beer and barbeque
Beer and barbeque have been great partners for a long time now. There is just something about scorching meat on the patio that cries out for beer. But, with the baffling array of beers available these days how does one choose what to serve?
As usual, my first suggestion is to go local. Most people reading this live within 10 miles of a brewery or brewpub. Small, regional brewers do some of their best business of the year during summer and they count of the local market to buy their beer.
Stop by for a growler or three at the brewpub or a few bottles from the brewery to hydrate your backyard BBQ.
Your beer style choice can be tricky. A lot of breweries produce sampler packs of their seasonal beers. This is a good way to offer your guests a selection of styles to choose from. Another approach is to make an executive decision and choose one beer that pairs well with the meal you are preparing. If you are preparing a rich piece of meat with lots of spices, you might want to go with a beer with equally big flavors like an IPA or barley wine. Or if you are making simple burgers and hot dogs, a simple, straight ahead pale ale or brown ale would do nicely.
One more thing to think about when you are deciding what style to serve is how does the beer warm. Since barbeques tend to happen during the warmer months, you should look for beer that is enjoyable whether or not it is consumed at near freezing temperatures because most of it will not be. There is no hard and fast rule to which beers taste good as they warm although darker beers seem to have a better chance than lighter ones.
The best thing to do it simply taste a beer as it warms up. Take an hour to drink a beer and note how the flavors chance as it climbs to room temperature.
How you serve your beer is also something to consider. Nice beer glasses might seem like a nice touch but that is actually a great way to ruin the beer. Assuming that the sun is shining on your party, clear glasses will quickly skunk your beer. It makes for a less impressive presentation but, when you are serving beer in the sunshine, leave it in brown bottles or serve it in cups that do not let the light shine through.
Besides beer, make sure that you have plenty of bottled water available. When people drink in the summer heat, they sometimes forget that they drink faster and more. With plenty of water available, they can make better hydration choices.
As usual, my first suggestion is to go local. Most people reading this live within 10 miles of a brewery or brewpub. Small, regional brewers do some of their best business of the year during summer and they count of the local market to buy their beer.
Stop by for a growler or three at the brewpub or a few bottles from the brewery to hydrate your backyard BBQ.
Your beer style choice can be tricky. A lot of breweries produce sampler packs of their seasonal beers. This is a good way to offer your guests a selection of styles to choose from. Another approach is to make an executive decision and choose one beer that pairs well with the meal you are preparing. If you are preparing a rich piece of meat with lots of spices, you might want to go with a beer with equally big flavors like an IPA or barley wine. Or if you are making simple burgers and hot dogs, a simple, straight ahead pale ale or brown ale would do nicely.
One more thing to think about when you are deciding what style to serve is how does the beer warm. Since barbeques tend to happen during the warmer months, you should look for beer that is enjoyable whether or not it is consumed at near freezing temperatures because most of it will not be. There is no hard and fast rule to which beers taste good as they warm although darker beers seem to have a better chance than lighter ones.
The best thing to do it simply taste a beer as it warms up. Take an hour to drink a beer and note how the flavors chance as it climbs to room temperature.
How you serve your beer is also something to consider. Nice beer glasses might seem like a nice touch but that is actually a great way to ruin the beer. Assuming that the sun is shining on your party, clear glasses will quickly skunk your beer. It makes for a less impressive presentation but, when you are serving beer in the sunshine, leave it in brown bottles or serve it in cups that do not let the light shine through.
Besides beer, make sure that you have plenty of bottled water available. When people drink in the summer heat, they sometimes forget that they drink faster and more. With plenty of water available, they can make better hydration choices.