My trip to Bel Frites peaked curiousity on the entire subject of food and beer and left me wondering where a Beer novice like myself could find advice on pairings for this well-known, yet mystified beverage. And while I find it way too easy to pass up a Coors Light for a night cap, the Belgian beers at Bel Frites made me feel like a regular beer aficionado.
What I didn’t know, is that my interest in wine pairings already pointed me into the right direction. On my very own bookshelf lies the 2006 Wine Book of the Year, What to Drink With What You Eat, the Bible of food pairing suggestions that provides several wine options for all types of meals including everything from sashimi and sole to the McDonald’s Filet of Fish (They suggest a NZ Sauv Blanc.) Is that awesome or what? Previously, my adventures with this book ran so far as to help me plan meals for family dinners, wine parties, and even to answer questions from wine tourists at the tasting room I work at on random weekends. While the book focuses mainly on wine, other beverages such as coffee, tea, spirits, and beer are featured as well.
What to Drink With What You Eat organizes its suggestions first by general rules of thumb, followed by listings of foods and meals, and then by type of drink. Essentially, there are a number of ways to extract the knowledge (and confidence) kick it up a notch. For our purposes, the Frite section simply listed: beer, champagne. Well, what kind of beer? I tried 5 different Belgian beers on my Frite excursion, each holding a different pairing purpose…so I was hoping for a bit more detail than that.
However I did find this on Belgian beer: “They are “big” – very flavorful…high in alcohol…flavors….dried fruit, caramel, fig, raisin, toffee, and chocolate,” states beer sommelier Carlos Solis. No wonder I love Belgian Beer! The flavor descriptors are all too similar to my favorite wines! Napa Cabs, Russian River Pinot, Paso Robles Syrah….I could go on…and on… For a description on Beer’s importance to Belgian cuisine, click here, for A Menu of Belgian Beers.
Even though I highly recommend this book for foodies of all levels, it’s still nice to have an expert plan your meals once in awhile. A few weeks ago, our staff was fortunate enough to plan a special 6 course pairing meal with the owners of Artisan and our soon-to-be certified sustainably grown wines! And after the some-what vague beer pairing recommendations by one of the best food pairing books on the market, I really started to value all my special date with family, friends, and the owners of Bel Frites and Artisan. At least now I know to order a St. Bernardus with my Gremolata-laiden frites and Roasted Red Pepper Aioli….mmm…do you think they’ll deliver???