Lager Styles
Bock: These German-style dark beers are often high in alcohol. Full-bodied with low-to-medium hoppiness and good malty taste, they're usually made in the spring to be served in the fall. Serve bock with smoked meat, sausages, and sauerkraut. Try Aass Beer or Shiner Bavarian Bock.
Doppelbock: Stronger and even more intense than regular bock, doppelbocks are high in alcohol (7.4 percent). They taste great with strong cheese, pickled herring, and raw onions. Celebrator Doppelbock is a good choice.
Lambic: Brewed only in Belgium, lambics are made with wild, rather than brewer's, yeast. These beers are less hoppy and can be sour, sweet, or fruity. Often they are infused with cherry or raspberry extract. Fruited lambics are ideal with fruity desserts like pies, compotes, and fresh berries. Traditional lambics also go well with dark chocolate.
Marzenbier/Oktoberfest: Originating in Germany, these lagers were historically brewed in March to last until the next brewing season. They have an amber color, full malt flavor, and medium hoppiness. Oktoberfest beer is an example of a Marzenbier; it goes well with smoked meats and vinegary potato salad. Try Samuel Adams Oktoberfest and Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen Amber.
Pilsner: Originally brewed in Plzen, Czech Republic, pilsners have a golden color with a flowery aroma, lots of malt flavor, and a dry finish with a bitter taste. American pilsners, such as Budweiser, are light in color and have less hoppiness and malt flavor than European pilsners, like Pilsner Urquell. Pair these with pork or seafood.
Ale Styles
American Ale: Pale to amber in color, American ales have medium body, medium to high hops, and are not high in alcohol. Nuts and slightly sweet foods such as coleslaw, roast lamb, and beef are good with American ales. Try Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Bitter: These English ales have lots of malt and hops, low carbonation, and good body. Extra special bitter (esb) has a higher alcohol and more body than other bitters. Try with roast duck, roast beef, and well-aged cheddar and Stilton cheeses. Try Boddington's Pub Ale, Fuller's ESB, and Redhook ESB.
India Pale Ale (IPA): Because this ale was originally made in England for shipping to India, it needed high alcohol content and lots of hoppiness to survive the long trip. It has a pleasing malty flavor with a full-bodied taste. The high bitterness balances slightly sweet foods. Try it with barbecued ribs, glazed ham, or Hoisin-Marinated Chicken (page 232). Hop Devil IPA and Harpoon ipa are good choices.
Pale Ale: Ales made with lighter roasted malt have a pale to amber color, medium hops, and maltiness with a drier taste. Try them with steak, salmon, or other fatty fish. Bass makes a good English-style pale ale.
Porter: Dark brown and full-bodied with high alcohol and chocolate tastes, porters are moderate-to-high hoppiness beers that can be enjoyed with bittersweet chocolate desserts. Try Samuel Smith, the Famous Taddy Porter.
Stout: Very dark and made with toasted malt, stouts are full-bodied and hoppy. Ireland's Guinness is the most famous stout. Bitter coffee and chocolate flavors make stout great with oysters, rich meats, such as braised short ribs, and game, such as grouse.
Wheat Beers (Hefeweizen, Weissbier, Weizen, Weizenbock): Beers containing wheat are often cloudy and slightly tart with high carbonation. They're also very refreshing and are ideal with spicy foods like curry. The tartness and wheaty flavors go well with fried food, such as fish and chips. Try Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer and Pyramid Hefeweizen.
