There is no denying the fact that craft beer is a growing interest here in the Upper Peninsula. From the Keweenaw to Escanaba to Sault Ste. Marie and multiple places in between, breweries have established themselves and created a buzz around the products they are creating.
What's more is the trend looks to only continue. Take, for example, the news that the very popular Bell's Brewery will be
purchasing property in Escanaba, or that both the
Ore Dock and
Black Rocks breweries in Marquette are expanding--and it's clear craft brews are quickly becoming everyone's first choice when it comes to suds.
When it comes to entertaining, it's easy to pick up any ol' beer and offer it to your guests, but the growth of hand-crafted lagers, stouts, ales and more make for a much more thorough selection here in the Upper Peninsula. If you truly want to serve up a meal that showcases its ability to be paired with a craft beer, then you should focus on what kind of beer you'd like to serve first and foremost.
"As we’ve said in our food menu, a well-selected beer can transform your meal from 'good fuel' to an experience that entertains your senses," says Tim Bies, who is the owner of the
Michigan House Café and Brewpub in Calumet and the brewmaster for Red Jacket Brewing Company.
"While wines may complement many meals, beer pairs well with most foods we eat every day and a great beer is quite affordable. The characteristics of body, freshness, sweetness and bitterness in a beer are achieved through the balanced combination of its principal ingredients: malted barley, grains, water, hops and yeast--as well as the way temperature is controlled during fermentation," he says.
Take, for example, a light lager or wheat, blonde or golden ale. If you've ever had more than a couple of beers in your life, you've had one of these types of beers. They don't bring a lot of malt or hops flavor to their sip and they are very mild in body. You'll find a lot of novice beer drinkers throwing these back, but at the table, they actually make a great companion to spicy food.
Think
Dia De Los Tacos or
Lagniappe in Marquette, or the Blast Furnace Burger at
Jasper Ridge Brewery and Restaurant in Ishpeming. Or, consider making your own spicy dishes right at home and pairing them with a KBC Pick Axe Blonde, Ore Dock's Bum's Beach Whet or the
Soo Brewing Company's GoldiLocks Blonde and a side of
Ray's Polish Fire hot sauce for the complete locally-made meal.
"Since (Pick Axe Blonde) is light in both maltiness and hoppiness, it works well as a thirst-quencher," says Paul Boissevain, co-owner of
Keweenaw Brewing Company. "Try it either with light cheese and crackers, with pears and apples or with super-hot food, such as blackened redfish. Once your tongue has been assaulted with hot spices, it will no longer be able to appreciate an intricately flavored beer, anyway."
Boissevain also suggests KBC's Olde Ore Dock Scottish Ale as another light-bodied beer. He says it doesn't carry much in the way of a hop characteristic, as it has been replaced by oak in the aging process.
"The oak flavor gives the beer a soft hint of sweetness that would go well with seafood or lightly seasoned poultry," Boissevain says. Grab some broasted chicken at
The Throttle in Little Lake or the
Country Grill in Ishpeming, or order yourself some whitefish at the
Brownstone Inn in Au Train.
Beers with more body, such as the wonderful Red Jacket's Oatmeal Express Stout, Ore Dock's Porter (which won the silver medal at the World Beer Championships), Black Rock's Backcountry Ballroom Stout or the KBC Widow Maker Black, pair better with hearty dishes, such as red meat, stew, burgers or the to-die-for venison pie at
the Antlers in Sault Ste. Marie.
A steak off the grill and a stout make for a wonderful marriage, and you can often find head chefs pairing them with the richest meals on their menu. You really can't go wrong by grabbing a steak at the
Hardwood Steakhouse in Covington, or the
Stonehouse in Escanaba.
"Beer pairs best with fried food, red meats, and cheese. And I cook a lot with it," says Vince Baron, executive chef and owner of
Table Six Restaurant in Menominee. "I like full to medium flavor best for cooking and drinking. I put beer in my braising liquid for pulled pork, chili, potato soup, hot dogs, and even my taco meat."
Baron says his favorite Upper Peninsula beer to use currently is the KBC Widow Maker Black.
"I urge people to drink with a sense of taste," says Baron, suggesting beer drinkers to always look for microbrews, and especially those made locally. "People who drink with a sense of budget or 'just to drink' I don't understand. Drinking is a sensory thing. I want flavor."
And Table Six isn't the only restaurant reaching for local brews for their menu. The
Landmark Inn's Capers Restaurant has been known to serve up steak with a demiglace that features locally-crafted stout that is sensational with every single bite.
Another class of beer that stands up well to strong flavors and compliments them well is brown ales. Red Jacket offers up a Downtown Brown and Black Rocks has Ben's Brown, both absolutely amazing with ribs (might we suggest a rack from Gwinn's
Up North Lodge?), while a more versatile beer would be an amber ale, such as the Ore Dock's Dream Weaver, that pairs very well with sandwiches or pizza, like a sausage and pepperoni from
Congress Pizza in Ishpeming.
If you're in the mood for something a little more greasy or acidic, then try a nice pilsner or pale ale like the Paulding Light Pilsner at Jasper Ridge, the White Pine Pilsner at
Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub or the Sooper Yooper IPA at the Soo Brewing Company. These would pair excellently with any fish fry in the Upper Peninsula, as well as some smoked-meat goodness at the
Union Grill in Marquette or the grilled lamb chops up at
Fitzgerald's in Eagle River.
The lists of potential pairings--as with wine--can go on endlessly with craft beers.
"The Brewer’s Association of America recognizes 83 categories of beer style plus a daunting 82 subcategories of beer style in their Great American Beer Festival," says Bies, who notes the Michigan House recently changed their beverage menu to list craft bottled beer by style. They also have made an effort there to offer up pairing of foods with each style of beer, such as a hefeweizen with lighter foods or a raspberry saison with pesto pasta.
"While we offer more than 70 different bottled beers, we are most proud of the beer we brew in-house by Red Jacket Brewing Company. We suggest Oatmeal Stout with charbroiled steaks or burgers; Cold Hearted Ale with our Blackened Chicken Caesar Wrap; and Keweenaw Cowboy IPA with the smoky, salty flavors in our Kahlua Pig Sandwich."
But Bies is the first to say every person has their own preference. Be the diner a Yooper, a visitor or a recent arrival, they all have their own tastes. It's not to worry if you don't get the pairings right out of the starting gate anyway. It really always comes down to what tastes the best to each person.
"When customers ask specifically what they should order with their meal, we usually fall back on the basics of wine pairing with food," says Bies. "Essentially, drink what you like and eat what you like and you’ll probably be quite happy. The rules--such as pair a slightly acidic beverage with a slightly acidic meal--sometimes work great and sometimes really don’t matter. But it’s a very interesting conversation."
For those interested in learning more,
the Vierling in Marquette and the
Marquette Food Co-op are teaming up tonight, April 24, at 6 p.m. to offer a beer and cheese pairing event at the Vierling. Six Vierling brews will be paired with cheeses from the food co-op, and what is sure to be a merry group will discuss the history and craft of each different style. Tickets are $20 at either the brewpub or the co-op.
Sam Eggleston is the managing editor of U.P. Second Wave and a resident of the Upper Peninsula. His favorite beer and food combination is a KBC Widow Maker with a grass-fed steak from
Guindon Farms. He can be reached via
email.
Pairing Specifics
There may not be set rules, but some pairings consistently work better than others. These specific pairings, courtesy of Second Wave's sister publication
Pop City, almost always work out for novice craft beer drinkers and experts alike. You can also take a look at
this pairing chart, from the Brewer's Association.
Golden or blonde ale, American wheat ale, lightly hopped lager
These beers are your go-to thirst quenchers. They are low in both maltiness and hoppiness, making them mild and perfect for novice beer drinkers. These beers pair well with very spicy food.
Weissbier, dunkelweiss
These beers are heavily flavored by the yeast used in the brewing process, so you’ll do best to pair with foods that have delicate taste that allow that flavor to shine through. Pick light soups, pastas and cheese or lightly flavored vegetarian fare.
Amber ale
Amber ale is a good option for any meal that isn’t particularly sweet. It goes well with hearty sandwiches, soups, pizza, barbecue or Mexican food.
Bitter, pale ale, India pale ale, German/Bohemian pilsners
The bitterness in these brews can be a bit much on their own, but when paired with rich flavors their strong hoppiness can cut through grease and acidic food, balancing the flavors perfectly. Pair with fried seafood, salads, smoked, boiled, steamed or broiled seafood. Use caution when pairing them with highly spiced cuisine, as they will enhance the heat. The fruitier pale ales may also complement lamb, beef, game or rich meats like liver pate.
English or American brown ale
Pair these hearty, hoppy brews with hearty meats like sausage, hamburger, smoked fish or wild game.
Porter, dry or oatmeal stout
These beers pair well with rich dishes like meat with gravy, barbecue, shepherd’s pie or stew. They have flavors that accompany seafood dishes like oysters and can stand up to stronger cheese such as sharp cheddar and blue cheese.
Cream or sweet stout, imperial stout
These beers are made for dessert and pair particularly well with chocolate. Try them with fruity chocolate desserts, caramel, cheesecake or something nutty.
Vienna lager/Oktoberfest/Mäarzen, dark lager, bock
These beers make good all-around food beers, but are not as filling as ales. Lagers can cut the heaviness in sauce-based meat dishes like chicken paprikash, goulash or pork roulade and will stand up to their strong flavors. These are great beers for pretzels and mustard, while sweeter versions can complement spiced desserts such as pumpkin pie or spice cake.
Fruit beers, lambics
These sweeter beers can be paired with light fruity desserts, such as soufflés or chiffon cake, but sour ones will overwhelm fruit flavors. Some lambics pair well with dark chocolate, and all work well with entrees that are prepared with fruit.
Old ale, barley wine
These are among the heartiest of all the brews and call for only the strongest
accompaniments, like strong cheese and super-dark chocolate. Otherwise, enjoy their maltiness and flavor alone.