Saturday 27 September 2014

Desert Hops Beer Festival: Food And Beer Pairing



I was recently asked if I'd share my favorite food and beer pairing as part of a blog shout out to the The Desert Hops International Beer Festival which is being held today, at the The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. I'd never heard about the festival before, but my first reaction was "OMG where's my admission ticket?" 

For me, going to a beer festival is second to going to a good writer's conference. Can you just imagine combining the two events? That would be incredible. Just think of how many writers and agents we could pair up or just how many books could be published....or... yeah, maybe not. :P 

Anyway, I wish I could tell you that I have some fantastic and exotic pairing of food and beer, but for me, simple is best. What I'm not a fan of, is sweet flavored beers and don't really like the weird fruit beers be it watermelon or pumpkin, and God forbid you add a peach or grenadine syrup to your beer like they do here, yuck! I figure if you're going to add syrup to your beer, you might as well order a cocktail. To each their own. 

Basically, I prefer a good beer with a dish of salty carbohydrates. Because let's face it, there's nothing better than a nice cold one and pizza, or chips, or just plain old peanuts. But better yet, beer on a hot day, in the back yard, cooking BBQ, and hanging out with family and friends. I think that's what I associate beer with the most, sharing it with friends and enjoying the simple things while we talk about how better the world would be if we ran things.  

So, when it comes down to it, I'm much more of a have-a-couple-cold-ones-at-home-with-friends-while-watching-Arrow kinda gal. 



So here is my favorite beer / food combination to date: 



Abbaye des Rocs (9 %), a strong Belgian ale with a rich dark amber color and full body taste that lingers in your mouth afterwards. In other words, it tastes awesome. Now take a beer like this and pair it up with a perfectly cooked steak with sautéed mushrooms, along with a side of potatoes loaded with bacon, onions, and melted cheese all cooked in an iron skillet. There, a slice of heaven... unless you're a vegetarian who doesn't drink alcohol. Then, this would be hell. :o  (Actually, there is a beer called Hell, just sayin... :)  )



So even if you're not much of a beer drinker, I'd be willing to bet, with all the different microbreweries producing such a wide range of craft beers from around the world, there's a beer even (or especially) for you. :) 

******
So do you have a favorite beer/food pairing? Or maybe you have another drink/food pairing you'd like to share. I'd love to hear about it!


#BrewLV

13 comments:

  1. That sounds like my way of enjoying a beer. Or paired with a pizza. The only ones I like with fruit are Corona (with a lime) or Blue Moon (with an orange.)
    I think we should combine it with a writer's festival. Just think how much better the pitches would sound if the agents were drunk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's exactly what I was thinking! I know my book would sound like a best seller if drinks were flowing ! :D

      Delete
  2. All I drink is water, so not sure there is a beer for me haha but I'd hand them out to others to get drunk and then open their wallet

    ReplyDelete
  3. Richard: Well, I meant it. Thanks for stopping in, Richard. =)

    Pat: All you'd find in my wallet is a hole, but now I see how you roll. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'll have what you suggested; it sounds delicious. Damn. Now I want steak.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was dying for a steak when I wrote this post too. I wonder what I'll make for lunch......hummm... ;)

      Delete
  5. Hi Elise - yes I'd have a beer and a bar-b-que right now and it's warm enough ... but no steak here or beer! Does sound delicious and just right for a lazy Sunday ... cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  6. LOL - meanwhile the flavored beers are some of my favorite. There's an imported strawberry and blueberry beer we can only get when we visit this place in Wilmington, NC - and both are to die for. Rivaled only by the homemade black berry beer my uncle made one year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm with you...where were our tickets!? But, truth be told, I was at a beer garden event in my hometown. Found some great new-to-me brews.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Heh, I don't drink alcohol but I'm with you on the food and good times.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've never been a drinker and I just gave up red meat about a month ago...maybe I am in Hell??? :D

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!
Comments are the best. Well, the nice ones are. (:
I do my best to reply to everyone either via e-mail,
directly in the comment box or by leaving a comment
on your site. Chat with you soon!

Also, not interested in your spam. Really, I'm not interested.

J'écris, donc je suis (:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...