"beer pairing" news and stories

What's the best nosh with beer? Here, from a couple of New York's finest beer experts, are five unique pairings. Following the gastropub tips are DIY dishes, with recipes, to bring the pairings home.

1. Dry stout and oysters. White wine and oysters seem the most genius flavor combination, especially when they're both briny, creamy and fresh. However, way back in the day, oysters weren't a novelty, but a cheap mainstay, its common bedfellow was a dry stout. At Jimmy's No. 43, a beer-focused gastropub in Manhattan, Long Island oysters are paired every Wednesday with stouts like the Irish Porterhouse Oyster.

DIY: Raw Oysters + Gritty McDuff's Black Fly Stout

2. Sweet pickles and Belgian Strong Ale. Pickle plates are increasingly popular among restaurants with a penchant for the local and the preserved. At one such venue, Beer Table in Brooklyn, New York, owner Justin Philips pairs sweet-potato pickles with a Belgian-style strong ale. "The sweet potatoes are soaked in orange juice and brown sugar which is great with the round, tropical flavors of The Bruery's Mischief."

DIY: Bread-and-Butter Pickles + Brooklyn Local 1.

While the holiday season is all about tradition, here's one to break: serving wine with dinner. Craft beer's varied styles and flavors mean you can match any Hannukah meal with beer.

Kick-start your Festival of Lights feast with crispy potato latkes crowned with applesauce. They're tastiest aside Unibroue Éphémère, a cloudy, well-spiced blanche brewed with apples, which provides a tartness that matches well with applesauce.

Alternately, try a Belgian like Chimay Tripel. The 8 percent ABV cuts through the grease, while the Tripel's bready nature goes well with potatoes.