As beer is so versatile it is possible to choose a specific beer to suit any point in the day or event in the year. With the idea of serving beer with food growing in popularity, there is really no reason why beer cannot accompany any occasion.

How to choose your beer?

What you have to know about beer, is that is categorized into one of three different categories: lagers, ales, and the rest fall into a category called specialty beers.
The difference between lagers and ales is the type of yeast used in fermentation.

Ales 

Ale is beer that is brewed using only top-fermenting yeasts, and is typically fermented at higher temperatures than lager beer (15–23°C, 60–75°F). At these temperatures, ale yeasts produce significant amounts of esters and other secondary flavours and aromas, often resembling those of apple, pear, pineapple, grass, hay, banana, plum or prune. Varies from pale to dark amber in colour, texture is smooth, and sweet, flavor is fruity, stronger and more bitter than lager.

Principal styles of ale include Barley Wine, Bitter, Amber Ale, Brown Ale, Pale Ale, Kölsch, Porter, Stout, and Wheat beer.

Barley wine: A dark, rich, bittersweet beer with higher alcohol content.
Amber: A beer named for its reddish-brown color, ranging from pale to dark.
Brown ale: Nutty, malty ale that’s dark brown in color with flavors ranging from dry to sweet.(Newcastle)
Bitter: Amber ale with a fragrant bouquet whose dry, sharp flavor is produced from hops. (Worthington, Pedigree, John Smith)
Pale ale: A highly hopped beer made from high-quality malt that’s dry in flavor. (Boddingtons, Old Empireindia, Batemans XXXB) 
Kolsch: A mildly malty German ale that is very pale in color and a bit tart in flavor.
Porter: Ale brewed from well-roasted barley. Dark brown in color, full-bodied in texture, and bittersweet or chocolaty in flavor.
Stout: A rich beer brewed from full-flavored roasted malts and top-fermenting yeast, sometimes with caramel sugar and high hop content. Dark brown in color, full-bodied in texture, and slightly burnt in flavor. (Murphy’s, Guinness )
Wheat beer: A beer brewed with wheat malt. Pale in color, medium-bodied in texture, and slightly tart in flavor. (Hoegaarden, Erdinger Weissbier, Franziskaner, Warsteiner) 

Additional ales brands that you can find in our stores: Birra Moretti, Brahma, Blackthorn, Caffrey’s, Molenbier, Cumberland, Jennings Cumberland, Hopback’ Summer Lightning, Leffee, Kilkenny.

 

Lagers

Pale lagers are the most commonly consumed type of beer in the world. Lagers are of Central European origin, taking their name from the German lagern ("to store"). Lager yeast is a bottom-fermenting yeast, and typically begins fermentation at 7-12°C (45-55°F) (the "fermentation phase"), and then stored at 0-4°C (30-40°F) (the "lagering phase"). During the secondary stage, the lager clears and mellows. The cooler conditions also inhibit the natural production of esters and other byproducts, resulting in a "crisper" tasting beer. Lagers tend to be lighter in colour and usually taste drier than ales. They are generally less alcoholic and complex.

Some lagers are the following: CARLSBERG, KEO, LEON, BUDEJOVICKY, 3 HORSES, HERTOG JAN, KILKENNY, COBRA, ASAHI, MICHELOB PREMIUM, KONIG LUDWIG.

Principal styles of lager include American-style lager, Bock, Dunkel, Helles, Oktoberfestbier / Märzen, and Pilsner.

American-style lager: The style is categorized by a light-gold or straw color, moderate alcohol content (4-6% abv), and muted to nonexistent hop character (carried to an extreme in dry beer). Malt flavor is generally rather light, with a very light-bodied mouth feel.

In our stores you can find the following brands: CORONA, HEINEKEN, BUDWEISER, BUD ICE, FOSTER, 3 HORSES, DOS EQUIS, SOL

Pilsner: Today, it is the world’s most popular style of beer. ,A beer brewed from bottom-fermenting yeast, they are very pale in color with a dry, hoppy flavor and aroma.
Pilsners are malty sweet, and well hopped. Caramel flavors are often noticed accompanied by medium to high bitterness. Pilsners have a good amount of carbonation and are clean and crisp.

Choose from the wide variety of pilsners that you can find from our stores: BIRRA MORETTI, STELLA ARTOIS, STAROPRAMEN, AMSTEL, BECKS, HARBIN, WARSTEINER, CARLING, KRONEBOURG, ROYAL DUTCH, PAULANER, MOLENBIER.

Bock: A strong, malty lager varying from pale to dark brown in color with an alcohol content around 6 percent by volume.Oktoberfest (Marzen): This beer is amber in color and is slightly heavy. It is malty sweet as typical with beer from southern Germany and Austria. There is low to medium bitterness but enough to offset the sweet. (Konig Ludwig)

Helles: Is a pale lager that is light in color, not taste or calories. It is low in alcohol and intended to be an everyday or session beer. The main quality that separates a Helles from a Pilsner or Pale Lager is a less potent hop aroma and flavor. Only a mild, short lived bitterness should be expected. (Konig Ludwig, Paulaner)

Dunkel: Commonly known as German dark beer. It’s basically a Helles with additional roasted malt added for color and a toasty, chocolate-like taste. Contrary to its reputation, it is really not as heavy or strong as many would think. It is slightly more bitter than a Helles, but the bitterness is a result of the roasted barley rather than from hops. (Konig Ludwig)

Specialty Beers

Specialty beers are either ales, lagers, or a hybrid of the two that will contain other ingredients that cause it to not fit into a true ale or lager style. Hybrid or mixed style beers use modern techniques and materials instead of, or in addition to, traditional aspects of brewing. Although there is some variation among sources, mixed beers generally fall into the following categories:

Wheat beers are ales made of wheat. They have golden colour and are very refreshing. The taste has hints of cloves and bananas. Enjoy a wheat beer with a twist of lemon. It is an excellent choice for the summer time. (HOEGAARDEN, ERDINGER WEISSBIER, FRANZISKANER, WARSTEINER)

Cider Beer: Cider is made from fermented apple juice. As with wine, the character and quality of the resulting product will bear heavily on the variety and quality of the fruit used. The cooler climate of Vermont is well suited to high quality apple production, and produces a sizeable amount of quality sparkling hard cider. (STRONGBOW, WOODPECKER, MAGNERS, BULMERS )

Fruit and vegetable beers are mixed with some kind of fermentable fruit or vegetable adjunct during the fermentation process, providing obvious yet harmonious qualities.(WARSTEINER) Champagne style beers are generally ales that are finished "à la méthode originale" for champagne.

 

Low Alcohol Beer

Low-alcohol beer (also called non-alcoholic beer) is beer with very low or no alcohol content. Most low-alcohol beers are lagers, but there are some low-alcohol ales.
Many people frown upon the notion of low alcohol beer citing the fact that it does not have the same effects as ordinary beer which – when drank in large quantities – can induce feelings of giddiness and drunkenness.

Principally the purpose of low alcohol beer is to give the drinker the impression they are drinking as they might drink ordinary beer without the side effects and also without experiencing those heady feelings of being drunk. (BIRRA MORETTI ZERO, BECKS, WARSTEINER).

Draught Beer

Draught beer generally refers to beer that is hand pumped from a barrel (a keg or cask) and served in glasses, usually in a pub or bar. These days canned beer may be referred as draft beer, especially if it contains a ‘widget’ device, which releases carbon dioxide and creates a ‘head’ on the beer once poured.( GUINNESS, BODDINGTONS, BECKS, JOHN SMITH'S, BUDWEIRER).

 

Beer and Food Recommendations

Food	Beer Ideas
Salads	American pale Ale, Pilsner, Wheat beer, Amber Ale
Soups	Porter, Brown ale, Pale ale, Pilsner lager
Chascuterie	German Oktoberfest
Seafood and shellfish	Dry porter, Stout, Wheat beer, Bitter, German pilsner
Sushi, pickled & smoked fish	Cider beer
Fish	American Wheat beer, Pilsner, Golden ale
Egg dishes	Bitter stout, Wheat beer
Pasta and pizza	Vienna-style lager, American pale ale, cider beer
Spicy Mexican food	Vienna-style lager, hoppy pilsner, Golden ale, Wheat beer
Poultry	Malty lager, Bitter ale, Brown ale
Pork	Vienna-style lager, Marzen, Oktoberfest
Red meats	Fruity ale, Indian pale ale, Brittish brown ale, Porter, Bock
Cheese	English old ale, Belgian beer, Bitter, Dry stout, Wheat ale, German pilsner,Pale ale, British brown ale
Desserts	Belgian strong ale, Wheat beer, Imperial stout, Irish Guinness, Dark malty beer

More Tips for Pairing Food and Beer

The following are some more helpful guidelines for choosing the right beer for a particular meal:

• Pale ales with a high hop content pair perfectly with full-fat cheeses or other rich, fatty foods.
• Brown ale complements most fish or chicken dishes. 
• High alcohol content, sweet-flavored, malty beers go well with spicy hot foods or even sushi. 
• In general, sweet desserts cry out for an even sweeter beer. 
• Rich chocolate or coffee flavored desserts can cope with an oatmeal stout's deep chocolaty flavor. 
• British real ales bring out the best in most red meat dishes. 
• Irish stout is the traditional accompaniment for oysters and complements a surprisingly wide range of seafood recipes. 
• Oriental style lagers or traditional brown ales are fantastic with Thai cuisine.