Beer and food, food and beer / Moose Drool Brown Ale

What beer goes with Twinkies?

If you’re ever uttered those words to yourself, congratulations. You are experiencing beer to the fullest.

A good food/beer pairing is extremely rewarding for beer cacahuates. Some may consider this an unusual practice. These people also think all beer tastes the same ("I hate that 'beer' taste!"). But you’re better than that. Since beer and food both come in all flavors and textures, there’s no reason why you couldn’t pair them. But before you find the perfect barleywine to go with your Jelly Bellies, let's start with the basics.

The idea here is either to provide balance, or complement the food. Light lagers and hefeweizens provide cool, fizzy relief from food that will destroy your palette (like super-hot dishes). Your hoppier pale ales tend to work for fried foods, as the bitterness cuts through the greasiness of the food. Big, black beers are awesome with ribs, steaks and other savory red meats.




A couple no-no’s: if you’re enjoying a really spicy Asian or Mexican meal, don’t wash it down with a big, dark porter or stout. Your head will explode. Not the best impression to make, especially if you’re on a date. Instead, go with a notable Asian or Mexican beer, which (not coincidentally) is lighter and cools your mouth.

If you’re more into rich meat dishes and devilicious desserts, do not drink, say, an IPA. The huge hop bitterness will not only ruin your food, but ruin your palette as well. Go with more malty fare – malts tend to mesh with sweet or savory food, not destroy it.

That brings us to this week’s Exceptional Brew – the tantalizingly-titled Moose Drool Brown Ale, from Missoula Montana’s Big Sky Brewing Company. This brown ale is a great choice to pair with a lot of the elements of popular cuisine in America: red meats, white meats, cheeses, and chocolate. You should have no problem washing down a freshly cooked dinner with some Drool.

Moose Drool specializes in peaty, smoky malts (with just an ever-so-slight twang of hops), but it’s stunningly drinkable. As is common with other brown ales, it’s a sweet, pleasant ale with not a lot of carbonation.

Definitely pour Moose Drool in a glass, so you can marvel at the gorgeous brown color and the omnipresent tan head. The slightly smoky smell of the brew perfectly complements barbecued meat. The creamy mouthfeel, not to mention the subtle cinnamony spiciness, can give your rich chocolate dessert a much-welcomed extra dimension. Beer with dessert – dig it.

However, I do admit that my suggestions are a bit biased. Food and drink, like all art forms, are entirely subjective. There’s no accounting for taste buds, if you will.

That said, your experience with food and beer should not end with my, or anyone else’s suggestions.

Be creative with your beer pairings. Try pairing an unlikely food with an unlikely beer. Get crazy. How does a Guinness Extra Stout taste with Lucky Charms? Perhaps a Pabst Blue Ribbon brings out the subtleties of creamed corn, I don’t know. This could be the start of a beautiful food-beer relationship you never would have predicted.



Have fun, but don’t get all litigious on me if you get sick. I’m a college kid – you won’t get much out of me.

Come back next week.