1 of 53

This pairing features an interplay between the bitter, citrusy IPA and the sharp, acidic aged cheddar.
The sharpness of the cheddar is enough to stand up to the potent IPA and the citrus and tanginess of the cheese complement each other.

Pairing #1

Simtra IIIPA - 11.25% ABV

Aged Sharp Cheddar

Free Powerpoint Templates

7 of 53

How to Taste

Step 1: Smell

Smell the beer before anything else; some scents are very volatile.
Swirl the beer in the glass and take quick sniffs; emulate how a dog smells things.
Be aware of memory flashbacks the aromas conjure.

Free Powerpoint Templates

8 of 53

How to Taste

Step 2: Look and Sip

Take a good look at the beer and note color, clarity, head character, and retention.
Take a sip and let the liquid linger on your tongue.
Note tastes such as acidity, sweetness, and bitterness.
Note mouthfeel sensations such as body, carbonation, astringency, or oiliness.

Free Powerpoint Templates

9 of 53

How to Taste

Step 3: Taste w/ Your Nose

Take another sip and try to volatilize some aromas into your nasal cavity.
Steal the technique wine folks use called “aspiration.”
Look for anything sticking out awkwardly. Any off-flavors or harshness?

Free Powerpoint Templates

10 of 53

How to Appreciate

More than just drinking a lot of beer (though that helps).
You’ve got to learn about the beer you’re drinking.

You can’t appreciate what you don’t understand.

Tie your beer experience into the entire universe of sensations in your “dictionary.”

Free Powerpoint Templates

11 of 53

How to Appreciate

Learn the characteristics of a style, it’s history
As you drink a beer, take some notes on:

Aroma
Appearance
Flavor
Mouthfeel
Overall “intangibles”

Free Powerpoint Templates

12 of 53

The goal of this pairing is to create the sensation of a liquid grilled cheese sandwich.
The soft, creamy Camembert paired with the toasty brown ale are like gooey grilled cheese on toasty bread.

Pairing #2

Nut Brown - 5% ABV

Camembert dell’Alta Langa

Free Powerpoint Templates

13 of 53

What is Beer?

Alcoholic beverage created from fermenting the sugars extracted from grains.
For the last ~600 years made from malted grain, hops, and yeast.
Before that, an assortment of herbs called gruit.
Sake is beer!

Free Powerpoint Templates

14 of 53

* What is Wine?

Alcoholic beverage created from fermenting the sugars extracted from fruit.
Cider is an apple wine!

Free Powerpoint Templates

15 of 53

A Brief History of Beer

10,000 BCE - Neolithic people of the fertile crescent begin cultivating grasses into the wheat and barley we know.
???
Mashing is discovered.

Free Powerpoint Templates

16 of 53

A Brief History of Beer

3,000 BCE - Civilization forms to support grain cultivation.

Some say so more beer could be brewed.

Sumerians master brewing.

Free Powerpoint Templates

17 of 53

A Brief History of Beer

0 CE - Barrels are invented (by beer drinking barbarians).
Spirits are now able to be transported to new regions.

Free Powerpoint Templates

18 of 53

A Brief History of Beer

500 CE - Picts in the British Isles develop beers using heather and other herbs.
Gruit would be the dominant beer of the dark ages.

Free Powerpoint Templates

19 of 53

A Brief History of Beer

1000 CE - Hops start being used in beer
Wouldn’t be dominant until almost 1500 CE due to church-mandated gruit tax.

Free Powerpoint Templates

20 of 53

A Brief History of Beer

1700’s CE - Industrial Revolution starts in England.
Porter become first industrially produced beer.

Free Powerpoint Templates

21 of 53

A Brief History of Beer

1700 - 1900 CE - �Lots and lots of science:

Steam power
Thermometer
Hydrometer
Refrigeration
Kilning
Pasteurization
Yeast discovery & isolation

Free Powerpoint Templates

22 of 53

A Brief History of Beer

1842 CE - The town of Plzeň develops the pale lager (aka the Pilsner) and sets the world ablaze.

Free Powerpoint Templates

23 of 53

This pairing is probably hundreds of years old--stilton was originally meant to be eaten with beer.
The fruity maltiness of the barleywine push back against of the salty pungency of the cheese.

Pairing #3

Old Numbskull - 11% ABV

Aged Stilton

Free Powerpoint Templates

24 of 53

What is Beer Made Of?

Water (primary ingredient!)

Water minerals created the styles we have today.

Malted grains

Wheat, barley, rye, rice

Adjuncts

Corn, sugar, spices

Hops

Bitterness, flavor, aroma

Yeast (actually make the beer)

Contribute significantly to the flavor.

Free Powerpoint Templates

25 of 53

How is Beer Made?

Step 1: Malting

Raw grains are allowed to germinate and sprout.
Sprouted grains are dried and kilned to a variety of temps.

Free Powerpoint Templates

26 of 53

How is Beer Made?

Step 2: Mashing

Malt is milled and hot water is added in mash tun, activating natural enzymes.
Enzymes convert starch in malt to sugars (yeast food).

Free Powerpoint Templates

27 of 53

How is Beer Made?

Step 3: Lautering

Sweet wort is extracted from grains in a Lauter Tun.
Barley husks provide a natural filter!

Free Powerpoint Templates

28 of 53

How is Beer Made?

Step 4: Boil

Wort is heated to boiling and hops are thrice added:

Bittering, flavor, aroma

Sterilizes wort and removes some bad flavors.

Free Powerpoint Templates

29 of 53

How is Beer Made?

Step 5: Yeast

Bitter wort is cooled to �45F - 65F and yeast is added.
It is now beer! “Brewers make wort, yeast make beer.”
Yeast take 1-2 weeks to work.

Free Powerpoint Templates

30 of 53

The tart cherry of the kriek is acting like the fruit topping of the cheesecake.
Fruit & cream are classic pairings and the cookie crumb crust rounds them out with nice breadiness.

Pairing #4

Oude Kriek Vieille - 6.5% ABV

Vanilla Cheesecake

Free Powerpoint Templates

31 of 53

Qualities of Beer

Many attributes come together to create the beer you see before you.

Strength
Color
Bitterness/Balance
Carbonation

These are the things you think of when you experience a beer.

Free Powerpoint Templates

32 of 53

Evaluating Beer

Free Powerpoint Templates

33 of 53

Free Powerpoint Templates

34 of 53

Some Vocabulary

Mineral - taste, aroma
Metallic - taste
Malty - taste (roasted), aroma
Bitter - taste
Hoppy - aroma
Oxidized - aroma, taste
Buttery - aroma, taste
Phenolic - aroma
Estery - aroma
Alcohol/Hot -aroma, sensation

Free Powerpoint Templates

35 of 53

Gravity

This is the density of wort and the final beer.

Measures sugars present.

Difference between original gravity (OG) and final gravity (FG) calculates alcohol.
Roughly measures how strong a beer will be.

1.050 OG ~= 5%
1.060 OG ~= 6%

Free Powerpoint Templates

36 of 53

Alcohol & Attenuation

Ethanol is the main product of fermentation, expressed in percent of volume (ABV) or weight (ABW).
Attenuation is the amount of gravity converted to alcohol.

High OG doesn’t always mean high ABV.

Brewers spend a lot of effort controlling attenuation levels.

Free Powerpoint Templates

37 of 53

Color

Product almost entirely of malt selection.

Free Powerpoint Templates

38 of 53

Hops & Balance

Measured in International Bitterness Units (IBU).
Bitterness comes from isomerized alpha acids.
Hop bitterness balances malt sweetness and the balance is important for “drinkability.”
Hops also contribute pleasant aromatic and flavor compounds.

Free Powerpoint Templates

39 of 53

Relative Bitterness

Free Powerpoint Templates

40 of 53

Haze & Clarity

People have always been bonkers about clear beer.
Haze comes from multiple sources:

Proteins in wort (chill haze)
Yeast
Old, mishandled beer
Infection :(

Some beers are hazy on purpose! (usually wheat)

Free Powerpoint Templates

41 of 53

Carbonation & Foam

Another product of yeast respiration -> CO2.
Beer’s unique protein structure causes foam�(proteins form a colloid).
Probably the most complex aspect of beer!
Sign of a well made beer�(and a clean glass).

Free Powerpoint Templates

42 of 53

Notes of molasses, caramel, chocolate and licorice from the beer mix with the creamy vanilla ice cream.
Bitter + sweet
Chocolate + vanilla

Pairing #5

Sea Monster Imperial Stout 11.25% ABV

Vanilla Ice Cream

Free Powerpoint Templates

43 of 53

Beer & Food

Beer & food transform each other:

Contrasting elements balance and blend.
Create a powerful, singular experience.

Beer can overcome problems wine can’t solve.
Roast/carb/bitterness push back against strong flavors.

Free Powerpoint Templates

44 of 53

Free Powerpoint Templates

45 of 53

Free Powerpoint Templates

46 of 53

Free Powerpoint Templates

47 of 53

Strength w/ Strength

Delicate dishes work best with delicate beers.
Strongly flavored foods demand assertive beers.
Intensity of flavor is no single thing, but a sum of the taste experience.
Richness, sweetness, method, and spicing all play a role.

Free Powerpoint Templates

48 of 53

Harmonies

Combinations often work best when they share common flavor and aroma elements.
Consider both the ingredients and the method of prep.
Roasted, caramelized, or grilled flavors are key to resonant elements.

Free Powerpoint Templates

49 of 53

Contrasting Elements

Certain qualities of food and beer interact with each other in certain, predictable ways.
Taking advantage of these interactions can balance the elements.
Sweet/fatty/umami balanced by bitterness/roast/alcohol and carbonation.
Hoppy beer enhances spice!

Free Powerpoint Templates

50 of 53

When In Doubt...

Go Belgian

Free Powerpoint Templates

51 of 53

Beer & Cheese

Free Powerpoint Templates

1 of 53

2 of 53

3 of 53

4 of 53

5 of 53

6 of 53

7 of 53

8 of 53

9 of 53

10 of 53

11 of 53

12 of 53

13 of 53

14 of 53

15 of 53

16 of 53

17 of 53

18 of 53

19 of 53

20 of 53

21 of 53

22 of 53

23 of 53

24 of 53

25 of 53

26 of 53

27 of 53

28 of 53

29 of 53

30 of 53

31 of 53

32 of 53

33 of 53

34 of 53

35 of 53

36 of 53

37 of 53

38 of 53

39 of 53

40 of 53

41 of 53

42 of 53

43 of 53

44 of 53

45 of 53

46 of 53

47 of 53

48 of 53

49 of 53

50 of 53

51 of 53

52 of 53

53 of 53