Since the Coronavirus has reached nearly the entire globe by now, the majority of all of us are staying at home.

I have not left my house in a week. I really want to eat out and go get flights of beer all over town, but due to this highly contagious virus, everything has been shut down. You can only get beer and food to go at this point.

We are living in a crazy time. It doesn’t have to be miserable, though.

I came up with a beer flight & food pairing that I think would appeal to most palates, with obtainable ingredients and widely available beer styles.

It’s simple! Just go to Pinterest or Google and find a beer flavor wheel or infographic. I have saved them on my Pinterest, here. (Give me a follow to see what I like to check out on Pinterest!)

You can also purchase the book Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher, this is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to learning about beer.

Just do a little bit of research and follow some of those guides. From there, you can pick out foods that either compliment or contrast flavors of beer.

That’s pretty much it–everything else is up to you.

Or, just follow my pairings here as a guideline and make your own!

Here are the four pairings:

One: Pilsner with Italian Dry Salami, Bruschetta Toast, and Spicy Honey

Pilsners are clean and crisp, so they can both contrast and balance out spicy and meaty flavors. I decided to pair Crooked Run’s Pilsner with Italian dry salami on top of small pieces of bruschetta toast, drizzled with a little bit of spicy honey. DELICIOUS. The hoppy, bright beer paired well with the sweetness and spice of the chile honey and saltiness of the salami.

Two: Farmhouse Black Currant Saison with Dried Cranberries

I have been holding onto one of my local breweries’ best saisons for a while, and I thought it was the perfect thing to complete my own beer & food pairing. Hourglass Brewing made a black currant farmhouse saison that has a rich, red-fuschia color with fruitiness and minimal funk. I thought it would be perfect with some dried cranberries I recently purchased. Their flavors harmonized together with both tart and fruity notes. The cranberries also brightened the flavor of the saison.

Three: Starfruit Berliner with Mozzarella Pearls, Balsamic Glaze, and Fontina Cheese

Bright, tart berliners cut through creamy cheese and break up the richness of its flavor. Another local brewery, Bowigens Beer Company, has a starfruit and guava Berliner Weisse that I paired with mozzarella pearls, drizzled with a balsamic glaze. The glaze provided a little sweet tanginess that also complimented the sour. I also topped them with a little salt and pepper, too. I also cut up some fontina cheese as well, a more flavorful, Swiss take on mozzarella cheese, and this tasted wonderful.

Four: Coffee, Cocoa, and Coconut Stout with Banana Bread

I have some leftover banana bread I made several days ago, and I thought it would be best to finish the last chunk of it with this flight of beer. I recently purchased Wild Leap Brewing’s Coffee Stout, which is brimming with toasty, chocolatey, coconut flavors. This complimented my banana bread extremely well. I always throw in some chocolate chips and bits of pecans or walnuts in my banana bread, and this helped match the flavor of the chocolatey stout.

If you cannot find any of these beers in your area, just select a beer you can find that is similar or at least in the same style category. You could change up the dried cranberries for raisins, or maybe some cherries, and swap out the dry salami for pepperoni. I would absolutely love to see your take on my beer & flight pairing!

Let me know what y’all think or what you come up with! This is such a good idea for a little date night for staying in, and it allows you all to be creative and keep your minds off of the insanity of the world. Heck, or just make this for one and have an amazing evening of self care. The options are limitless!

Hope you all stay safe and comment below with some other beers you think would be great with these foods!

Cheers!

–Ashley