My friend Ron Raike brews for Shipyard in Winter Park, FL (another homebrewer gone pro story). They posted this on Facebook:
Cheers for the book link; ordered. Looks neat!
Cool. Let us know what you think. I’d be curious to hear as I bought that book for my brother-in-law, who’s into wine as well as craft beer, for Christmas but I haven’t heard anything from him about what he thought.
The Sam Adams Infinium would slot into this role quite nicely. I see it pairing well with most food too.
As far as lambics I prefer the sweet cheap ones like Lindemans. I don’t go for carbonated vinegar… And I don’t see the uninitiated caring overmuch for a Gueuze either.
Alright, so after doing some more research on the wine side, I determined that Thai food might not work the best. It would have to be mostly to all white wines and we don’t want to do that. We changed up the menu to be more of a Japanese Steakhouse theme. The menu is now:
Appetizer - Grilled Garden Sushi Rolls (cucumber, asparagus, avocado, etc.)
First Course - Miso Soup
Main Course - Flank Steak (marinated somehow, but haven’t determined yet), scallops, and a salad w/ginger dressing
Dessert - Ginger/Pear Cake
I think this menu might make it easier to pair up both the wines and the beer. What do you think?
I disagree with that statement. Well, sort of. Thai food can work with red wine and Italian food and beer can be excellent. I love a big brown beer, like Gouden Carolus with just about anything with red sauce. I’ve done a lobster ravioli paired with Malheur Biere Brut that was freakin’ divine.
So when are you having us over for dinner?
Yes and I’ll bring the homebrew. 
When can ya come?
Ah, yeah, that’s the trouble, 3 hours’ drive to Brussels + teething baby… But you can come here, I’ll do something large and meaty on the smoker
Oh and bring Brasserie de la Seine. That stuff is great. Have you tried their “Brussels People’s Ale?”
You mean Taras Boulba? Yeah, I have a nearly empty case of it in the garage. Great beer from a great brewer. All their beers are good.
Thanks for the invite. I’m sure we’ll see you one of these days before too long, especially since my wife’s brother lives in Paris as well. I’m just not so sure about the big meat in the smoker (hm, someone is going to have fun with that line), since, besides the occasional fish/seafood, I haven’t eaten meat in around 16 years.
Be sure to cash in on the cheese. I would almost do not care about getting the pairings right between the drinks as long as you have the right partner for your drinks. I do not know the specifics but you should have the cheese that would go well with your wine. If you are looking for the beer, try something with different tastes. I like the ones with ginseng and some herbs of some sort.
I’ve been meaning to correct myself on this. Of course you meant Zinnebir. I knew that. And yeah, also damn good.
Perhaps a Kriek or Peche from Lindemans in Champagne flutes at the beginning to “break the ice”? SWMBO and I have hosted beer and food pairing dinners at our abode before and I’ve tried to pair the food with the beers that go from light to dark and it seemed to work against palate fatigue for ourselves and our guests. You’ll have to work your own logistics with the food from that standpoint. Good Luck and have fun!
That’s alright, I can do smoked yams. Have you ever had smoked fufu? Fufu - Wikipedia NOM NOM. Smoke-it-All - Adventures in BBQ and Good Eating: Smokey Caramelized Sweet Potatoes (Recipe)
I can also do grilled calamari if that’s your thing. I love that stuff, with some peppers, onions, garlic, a bit of olive oil…