Everything You Need To Know About Pairing Craft Beer

It's no secret that we love a good craft beer around here, but let's face it: we're not always pros at how to pair our favorite beers with our favorite foods. Sure, we've learned that beer can work with cheese, chocolate, even our favorite brunch foods (thank you baby Jesus), but we're at times still stuck on what to eat. Fortunately, Craftbeer.com and the Brewer's Association have broken down what those tricky beer terms mean when it comes to pairing food and beer. 

As Julia Herz from Craftbeer.com explains, there are four main components of the overall experience of a beer: taste, flavors, intensity, and sensations. When pairing craft beer with food, it's best to think about how the craft beer's taste elements either counteract or contrast with the food's taste; the ultimate craft beer and food pairing allows both to equally shine.

Complement: When one item from a craft beer or food complements the other during the pairing.

Counter/ Contrast: When elements interact and either heighten or calm each other's intensities.

Cut: The bitterness of hops cut and lessen the richness of fat, richness, and oil in food.

You can find more helpful craft beer definitions and terms to help make your next meal a stellar pairing, at Craftbeer.com.