First up: Beer and Cheese.

Did you know that beer is actually a better match for cheese than wine?

We don’t mean to burst the wine bubble but here’s what a study from UCLA by Dr. Hildegard Heymann stated:

“Wine and cheese are incompatible since cheese dulls the taste of red wine making it difficult to discern different flavours…. after eating cheese, wine tasters could not tell the difference between expensive wine and cheap plonk.”

So what’s the alternative ? BEER!

Janet Fletcher (San Francisco Chronicle) tackled the subject:

“After several weeks of ‘research,’ including two marathon tastings, I’m convinced that beer as a partner for cheese rarely stumbles. With wine, you are almost always working just with contrasts. That’s not as satisfying as combining beer and cheese where you are also working in some flavour harmonies.”
 

Ahh… the bitter hops. the sweet bread, the carbonation. It all compliments the savoury, salty cheeses so well.

Give it a shot yourself and try some of these delicious recipes at your next party:

Steam Whistle Poached Peach with Goat Cheese & Vanilla Cream (pictured above)
Steam Whistle Cheese Fondue
Steam Whistle Cheese Dip
Baby Arugula and goat cheese salad with Steam Whistle vinaigrette 

But cheese isn’t the only food that goes well with beer.

Watch our Vancouver reps Kiraly & James cook up a beer chilli.

Beer deserves a place at the table and in many cases is an easier match to foods.

There are three ways that a beer can be paired:

1. Cut – Breaking through spicy foods and refreshing the palate.
2. Complement – Quite literally complementing one another in the pairing.
3. Contrast – Pairing different flavours of food and beers.

Think about these concepts next time you sample beer with your food!

Here’s a few dishes you might enjoy:

The ultimate comfort food, winter beef & Pilsner pie.

Steam Whistle Chilli with Pilsner cornbread
Steam Whistle Turkey Stuffing
Steam Whistle Beer Bread
Beer & Onion Soup

The recipes above are meant to compliment Steam Whistle; however, next time you have beer at your dinner table, try to see if your dish cuts, compliments or contrasts.

Cooking not your thing?

And if you’re really not the one to cook at home but enjoy a nice dinner out… shout out to our friends at Duke Pubs who make sure to give you jolly good fun. Literally!

One of their dishes is the Steam Whistle battered Fish & Chips. Highly recommended next time you pay them a visit:

Delicious!

Holidays can easily be the best time of the year but it’s your surroundings that make them special. Cheers to all our friends!

The Folks at Steam Whistle