Once you adopt some basic rules of thumb about flavor compatibility and intensity, you can start drilling down into which beer styles tend to work best with specific dishes—making a sensory experience greater than the sum of its parts.
Bitter, sweet, sour, salty, spicy, fatty, umami... Knowing which basic flavors are in your beer can help you match it with a food that has similar flavors—or with one that has contrasting flavors. Greg Engert explains.
We often drink beers out of context, not thinking about their stories, backgrounds, or what dishes might be best enjoyed with them. As Greg Engert explains, knowing that context and explaining it can increase our enjoyment when beer and food come together.
Beer has all sorts of advantages when it comes to pairing with food at the table—whether it’s a delicate session beer, something with more malt heft, or another example from the diverse array of aromas, flavors, and textures that beer can provide.
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From flavor fundamentals that anyone can follow to specific matchups of beer styles and dishes, the Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Greg Engert leads a master course on pairing great food with great beer.
Greg Engert, beer director for the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, explains the components of flavor and how we perceive them, and thus how we enjoy our beers as well as our food.
Temperature and glassware can play important supporting roles when pouring and enjoying stronger beers. Greg Engert explains how in this video tip.
Foam is important not just for appearance, but also for aroma and how we experience a beer. In this video tip, Greg Engert explains why we go for foam when we pour (and when we brew).
You might like cold beer and cold pizza—but you might also be missing out on flavors and aromas. Greg Engert explains why proper serving temperature is key to getting the most pleasure out of beer.
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From breaking down flavor profiles to proper pouring, glassware, and caring for draft lines, Greg Engert of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group lays out his approach to world-class beer service in this full-length video for All Access subscribers.