Thursday, February 27, 2014

Beer and Wine Pairings

Yes, wine can be a very intimidating spirit. It has always been that way. So many varietals, so many regions, so many vintages! Factor in the knowledge of seasonal weather patterns in relation to winery locations which can lead to great or terrible crops, and learning about wine can be a lot. We haven't even discussed the taste on your palate, a wines legs, acidity or residual sugar. 
However, the more wine I drink and the more information I am able to gather from the resources we have at hand, the less intimidating wine becomes. In my opinion, I think wine becomes less intimidating because you begin to learn what you like personally. You start to develop favored regions or favored wineries and when that starts to happen, then you start to develop knowledge of vintages and the reasons why certain vintages can become more well received than others. So yes, there's a lot too it, but like most things, knowledge eases the intimidation. 

Okay, so what does this have to do with beer. Well, my brother-in-law is as much of a beer snob as there might be a wine snob whom you know. He will send us five emails a week on hot new craft brews. This whole craft beer thing has just exploded and to my embarrassment I don't know nearly enough about the industry as I probably should, especially in my profession. Right now for me, that entire industry is nearly as foreign to myself as wine used to be. 

He recently sent an article that paired craft beers with wine varietals and it was an extremely interesting read. One of the things that has held me back from developing a love of craft beer are the hops. Not all craft beers have an extreme amount of hoppinness to them, but most that I try I can have one and that's about it for me, I'm full. Just not my thing. But, this pairing list might help and I hope it might help some of you that might be in the same boat I am. Take a look at the list and find the wine you like. Then try the beer that pairs best with your favorite wines flavor profile. Work backwards, you may develop a new love which could result in a renewed desire to "hop" on board the exploding craft beer trend. 

No comments:

Post a Comment