In hop heaven

Ben McFarland asks a panel of experts for their food pairings with the eminently hoppy India pale ales

Unless you’ve been sitting in a darkened room with your eyes shut and your head encased in a block of concrete, blindfolded, then – chances are – you’re likely to have read an article about how great beer and food are together.

And what a lovely couple they make. Things have advanced well beyond the paltry pub pint and a ploughman’s to posh pairings in Michelin-star eateries - complete with sommeliers, champagne flutes and stuff – and beer has rightfully returned to the head of the dining table.

With this in mind, each issue Beers of the World will ask an expert panel of ‘foodies’ to provide a selection of dishes and flavours with which a particular beer style finds harmony. So quit banging your knife and fork on the table, pop your napkin down the front of your shirt and, with a Tom & Jerry style lick-of-the-lips, get ready to tuck in.

BEER STYLE: INDIA PALE ALE (IPA) Stacked with hops, hops and more hops, IPAs began life as a beer especially designed to withstand the vagaries of the voyage from England to India.

More recently, IPA has enjoyed a phenomenal revival principally on the back of cult-status among American craft brewers who have taken the characteristics of traditional IPA and, well, made them bigger. Expect huge citrus aromas, spice, mouth-puckering bitterness and plenty of strength.

Bruce Paton Bruce Paton is a “beer chef” based in San Francisco who works in close association with the leading players on America’s thriving craft brewing scene. His website i.....

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By Ben McFarland

Section : Beer and Food

Page number : 44