Now that things are finally opening up and we can enjoy warm days with family and friends, one of my favorite things to do is picnic or barbecue. Some parks are open for picnics, although some continue to have restrictions. But your backyard, grill and cooler is always there for you.
The food part is easy, with classic grillables, sandwiches, salads and other picnic fare. But what about the beer? What makes a great picnic beer? Anything light-bodied, like a lawnmowing beer? I don’t think so. They’re clean and refreshing, but a picnic beer should complement burgers, hot dogs or whatever you’re eating.
Here are my picks for the best beers to pair with the foods at your next picnic.
With burgers; Whether it’s turkey, Impossible or beef, burgers are probably the most ubiquitous grill food thanks to their umami and char. And luckily there are many beers that pair with them. One of the best is an American pale ale, like Lagunitas Born Yesterday or the O.G. choice Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Brown ales, such as Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Ale, are also great with burgers. A unique choice: Scharzbier, a malt-forward dark lager. Although it is technically a San Francisco-style black lager, Moonlight Brewing’s Death & Taxes is superb.
With hot dogs; Frankfurters are another staple of the grill. And what you top them with can make them complex and even more fun to pair with beer. For a loaded or spicy dog, wheat beers, like Allagash White or even an American hefeweizen like Widmer Hefeweizen will cut through the spiciness quite well. Any IPA will compliment the dog, too, as would a light-bodied American lager, like Fieldwork’s Finer Things or Firestone Walker Lager.
With fried chicken: Beers that are malt-forward and not too hoppy work best with the crispy, juiciness of fried chicken. A Vienna Lager, like Samuel Adams Boston Lager or 21st Amendment’s El Sully, or an amber lager or Märzen, such as Sudwerk Märzen Amber Lager. Any amber lager, like Anchor California Lager or Brooklyn Lager, works well to cut through the fried chicken. Just stay away from overly hoppy beers here.
With sides and veggies: Salads, grilled vegetables, coleslaw and seven-layer dips are often center-stage at picnics and barbecues, so you want an all-purpose beer for the job. Think pilsners, blonde ales and refreshing fruit beers. Few beers scream summer as loudly as 21st Amendment’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer, which recently added pomegranate and mango to its lineup. Calicraft’s Tiki Time Tropical Wheat, with guava, passionfruit and bright orange, is also a great choice for a light fruity wheat beer.
Strainge Beasts
Sierra Nevada Brewery Co. has expanded its line of Strainge Beast hard kombuchas.
Kombucha, a form of fermented tea that’s grown in popularity over the last decade, is now one of the newer beverages to have “hard” options that develop through a second round of fermentation.
The recently unveiled flavors include two 100-calorie options that come in at 4% alcohol by volume: Watermelon, Sea Salt, Lime and Mint; and Raspberry, Golden Kiwi and Elderflower. Also, being added to the already established lineup is Grapefruit, Pomegranate and Cucumber, a standard kombucha that comes in at 7% ABV.
Sierra Nevada says that its line of kombucha is inspired by the brewery’s love for the art and science of fermentation blending with organic fruits and botanicals.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the alchemy of fermentation,” says Ken Grossman, the company’s founder who is also a long-time homebrewer of kombucha. “It can transform high-quality ingredients into something magical.”
The hard kombucha line, which launched in 2020, has three other flavors including a Ginger, Lemon and Hibiscus; Blueberry, Acai and Sweet Basil; and Passion Fruit, Hops and Blood Orange. “We’re so excited to get Strainge Beast hard kombucha into the hands of more drinkers, especially as we head into the summer season,” says Robin Gregory, communications director at Sierra Nevada. “Each new flavor concoction of Strainge Beast is a medley of organic fruits, herbs and spices that is bound to feed your curiosity.”
In support of the new flavors, Sierra Nevada is beginning a series of what’s being calling masterclasses for unconventional arts. One of the classes is expected to cover Venus fly trap gardening with more class announcements coming on the product line’s Instagram in June at instagram.com/straingebeast.
“Strainge Beast” can be found at most grocers and at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
June 16, 2021 at 02:05AM
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Going on a picnic? Here are the perfect beer pairings - Marin Independent Journal
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