We know that beer is a work of art that deserves our attention, and any Saturday that has spent a few hours trying to catch a 2-degree difference in the mash temperature will attest to that. The same should be used beside the glass as you would have used next to the glass. It’s more about what types of beers go well together than it is about pairing them with specific food items. You can’t hear a lazy one flattening six weeks of work.
We think this list shows you the most suitable things to pair with a beer, starting at the top, and then all the way to the bottom area for a few more situational items. The reasoning is similar to that used in the recipe-making process—the intensity matching and then purposefully seeking out flavors that complement, or sometimes compete, with one another. If it is applicable, each entry references the styles it’s applicable to, to help you select the correct bottle when it comes time to pick.
How We Ranked Them
The order was determined by the results of three questions. Will the combination fit in with many different styles or just one? Does it enhance the beer rather than staying next to it? But can you do it without using up an entire kitchen on a Tuesday night? This list is presented in no specific order beyond the opinions listed and reflects our own opinions.
1. A Cigarillo
Cigars and Beer aren’t only a long-standing tradition, but a chemistry mix as well. The tastes of tobacco leaf include earthy, woody, and sometimes sweet notes, which are very close to the malt side of the balance. As a leaf-wrapped smoke, roasted barley, crystal malt, and Munich all speak the same language. Carbonation and hop bitterness take over the job of a palate cleanser; between drinks, it does it too, keeping the beer and smoke clear.
The full-size cigar has a practical problem for beer drinkers, though. A robusto takes time, needs a gadget to cut and a humidor, and its intensity will bulldoze anything under about eight percent ABV. A cigarillo fixes all of that. It’s a small, slim cigar wrapped in a tobacco-style leaf, but it comes ready to smoke straight from the sealed pack and lasts about 10 to 20 minutes. There’s no need to cut it, and the smoking time lines up almost perfectly with enjoying a pint.
The flavor range also gives you more to work with than most people expect. Al Capone, among very widely available cigarillo brands in the US, makes a mellow natural blend called Gold with no infusion at all, plus three infused options: Aromatic Blues, a Jamaican Burn alongside a hint of rum, and sweets dipped in cognac. Many are either unprocessed or filtered. You can pair that spread according to style, just like you would do with meals.
Style Matches
- Imperial stout or porter with a natural cigarillo. Roast malt and tobacco leaf are the classic match. The beer’s residual sweetness fills in around the smoke.
- Belgian dubbel or quad with a cognac-dipped cigarillo. Dark fruit esters and a brandy note on the leaf point in the same direction.
- Brown ale or Scottish ale with a rum-infused cigarillo. Toffee and caramel malt against a light rum sweetness is an easy win.
- West Coast IPA with a filtered cigarillo. The bitterness resets your palate between draws, and the filter keeps the smoke from fighting the hops.
- Doppelbock with an aromatic blend. Big bready malt handles a more fragrant smoke without getting lost.
Two ground rules. Don’t inhale a cigarillo, as it should only be puffed and savoured, like any cigar. Enjoy a few degrees above room temperature, because cold produces numbness that dulls the malt flavors that are supposed to create a good beer and malt combo. It’s hard to distinguish between a cigarillo and a cigarette — so here’s Al Capone’s take on the cigarillo vs cigarette debate to explain the importance of a wrapper. They have a store locator which will let you know which stores near you sell the range.
2. Aged Cheese
The most flexible combination of any food with beer is with cheese, and it’s better than beer with wine. A hoppy pale ale and a sharp cheddar help to cut through the fat, which still wine doesn’t do, and hence, this is why they work when a Cabernet would clash. The general principle is that it’s a match between age and intensity. A mild cheese from a young age prefers a pilsner or witbier. A 2-year cheddar or an aged gouda prefers a barleywine or English strong ale or a doppelbock; both the caramelized sugars from the cheese are matched by the same in the malt. It’s a pairing of blue cheese and imperial stout that turns skeptics.
3. Smoked and Grilled Meat
Beer is the meat’s best friend, especially when it’s brisket, pulled pork,k or sausage off the grill. The roasting malts evoke smoke, the carbonation adds some richness, ss and the bitterness rounds out the malt. If you have one, a rauchbier is the obvious choice, but other beers that come from Vienna, such as an amber ale or Baltic porter, will do the same. Use a less bitter and slightly sweeter beer for barbecue that is spicy. The hotter capsaicin is due to the high IBUs.
4. Dark Chocolate
Chocolate and stout make an excellent dessert combination. Roasted barley is used for its flavor, which is similar to that of cocoa, but the roasted barley does not fight against the chocolate; it instead carries out the bitterness. Go with 70 percent or more and a beer that still has some sweetness in it, such as oatmeal, a milk, or a Belgian quad. Like raspberry on a dessert plate, fruit-forward sours such as a kriek are a match for dark chocolate.
5. Oysters and Shellfish
This is a true historic oyster stout, and it’s really a good match. One of the oldest beer pairings of which there is record is the oyster and the minerality of an oyster against a dry Irish stout. If stout is too weighty, it’s a lighter pilsner or dry saison that does the same thing. Ignore those that have a large hop flavor, as it can make shellfish taste like iron.
6. Salted Nuts and Pretzels
All the bars in the world serve them for a reason. Yes, salt is salty and will make you thirsty, but it also brings out the sweetness of the malts and helps to reduce the bitterness, making a plain lager rounder with a few salted peanuts. A Helles or Hefeweizen and a soft pretzel and some mustard is a match made in heaven. If you’re willing to take the time to think it over, smoked almonds and brown ale will top it.
7. Spicy Food
A lot of pairing advice is off-topic, and it goes with the spice – Thai curry, Sichuan noodles, hot wings. Although it’s the instinct to drink an IPA, bitterness and heat work together. The real cure for capsaicin is malt sweetness, mild carbonation, and a bit of alcohol. A Belgian tripel, a hefeweizen, or a sweeter lager is much better suited to a hot dish than is a double IPA. Hops are bitter, so if you prefer a “hoppy” wing with your wings, use hops that are not too bitter.
8. Fruit and Fruit Desserts
Fruit pairings are mostly about echoing what is already in the glass. A New England IPA loaded with citrus and stone fruit hops next to a peach tart or a grapefruit salad is an obvious match. Berries against a Berliner weisse or a fruited sour is the same idea. For apple pie or a tarte tatin, a Belgian dubbel or an English old ale brings the caramel.
9. A Second Beer
Not a joke. Pouring two related beers side by side is the cheapest tasting education there is, which anyone who has run a triangle test already knows. Try a pale ale and its double version, a stout and its barrel-aged sibling, or two batches of the same recipe where one variable changed. You learn more about both beers in five minutes than you would drinking either alone.
Quick Reference: Pairing by Style
| Beer style | Best pairing from this list | Also good |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial stout | Natural cigarillo | Dark chocolate, blue cheese |
| Belgian dubbel or quad | Cognac-dipped cigarillo | Aged gouda, apple desserts |
| Brown or Scottish ale | Rum-infused cigarillo | Smoked almonds, pulled pork |
| West Coast IPA | Filtered cigarillo | Sharp cheddar, grilled sausage |
| Pilsner or Helles | Pretzels and mustard | Oysters, mild cheese |
| Hefeweizen or tripel | Spicy food | Fruit tart, soft cheese |
| Dry stout | Oysters | Brisket |
| Fruited sour | Dark chocolate | Berries |
A Few Pairing Rules That Hold Up
- Match intensity first. A delicate beer disappears next to a heavy pairing, and the reverse is just as bad.
- Serve beer warmer than fridge temperature for any pairing that leans on malt. Cold hides the flavors you are trying to match.
- Bitterness cuts fat and amplifies heat. Use it for rich food; avoid it for spicy food.
- Roast pairs with roast. Coffee, chocolate, char, and tobacco leaf all sit in the same flavor family as dark malt.
- When in doubt, echo. Pick a pairing that shares a flavor with the beer, and you will rarely go wrong.
Pairing Choices That Bring Out Brewing Character
The cigarillo is the winner here since it does more than any food listed here does: it runs down the length of the beer, it’s a perfect match for all dark-malt styles, and expects nothing of you other than a lighter. The rest are there in case you want one to be on the table as well. Regardless of your selection, pour a beer of your own or a beer that you’d like to try a different style of, and notice the differences in roast, malt sweetness, bitterness, and fermentation character. The best brewing tips often start with taking time to observe and see what the glass is telling you.
The rankings and selections in this list represent the author’s personal views. Tobacco products are intended solely for adults aged 21 and over. Surgeon General’s Warning: Cigar smoking is not a safe substitute for cigarette smoking. Alcohol should always be consumed responsibly.
