Food, Beer & Wine suggestions for this Holiday Season
It is hard to believe Thanksgiving is just a few days away, but ready or not, the holidays are here! We would love to offer some helpful suggestions for beer and wine pairing to help ease the stress of your menu planning.
Here are a few tips on the basics of beer and wine pairings:
1. Pair Like with Like— This is one of the easiest ways of appeasing the palate and impressing your guests. Look to find similarities in the food you are preparing and your beverage of choice. Match lighter dishes with lighter accompanying beer or wine selections and vice versa.
Pairing Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar with Pecan Sweet Potato Pie will bring out the caramel, nutty tones of both the beer and this holiday favorite.
2. Consider the Contrast Elements— How does the chosen beer or wine interact with the food? For instance, a full bodied, dry red goes perfectly with richer foods as the tannins help to cut the fat and balance out the flavors of the dish. We love pairing highly carbonated Belgian ales with richer foods for this very reason.
Pairing Cliff Creek’s 2008 Syrah with braised beef short ribs will strip the palate and allow you to savor each bite.
3. Buy Local!— The perfect pairing for any holiday event. Beer, wine and produce are all agricultural products and as so, take on a specific taste dependant on the region in which they were grown (or brewed!). In the world of fermentation we call this Terroir. This holiday season, think about different ways to bring home the bounty of your region. Not only can you ensure freshness and quality, it’s a great way to support your local farmer, vintner and brewer alike.
Pairing our Twin Plunge Double IPA with a heritage wood grilled pork chop from Willow-Witt Ranch will highlight the caramel and roasted tones in both items.
4. Don’t Sweat It— Honestly, we could go on and on about food, wine and beer pairings; but at the end of the day, what matters most is the love put in to the meal and your family and friends around the table. So relax, you’ve got this! Grab an apron, pour yourself a drink and get to cooking. As Julia Child admitted, “I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food…” So make sure you are stocked with enough beer and wine to make it through the evening.
Feel free to swing by the restaurant for a growler fill and we will be happy to help you select the perfect beer to pair for your holiday event.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Family Stone!
