Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros

Inspire a lifelong exploration of your senses as you learn to pair beer and food like a pro.

*2016 International Association of Culinary Professionals Award Finalist*

Beer has reclaimed its place at the dinner table. Yet unlike wine, there just aren’t many in-depth resources to guide both beginners and beer geeks in pairing beer with food. Julia Herz and Gwen Conley are here to change that.

As you start your journey with Beer Pairing, you’ll learn how aroma, taste, preference, and personal experience can affect flavor. Just as important, you’ll become a tasting Anarchist--throw out the conventional advice and figure out what works for you!

Then, on to the pairing. Begin with beer styles, start with your favorite foods, or join the authors on a series of wild palate trips. From classics like barbecue ribs with American Brown Ale to unusual matches like pineapple upside-down cake with Double India Pale Ale, you’ll learn why some pairings stand the test of time and you’ll find plenty of new ideas as well. Discover:

• How we experience flavor and the science and anatomy behind it
• How to taste beer, step by step, with pouring and glassware tips
• Pairings by beer style and specific foods
• Complete information for planning beer dinners
• How to work beer into your cooking repertoire
• Tips and stories from pro brewers
• Geek Out science features with facts to impress your friends

Never look at beer--or food--the same way again!

Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director at the Brewers Association and Publisher of CraftBeer.com. She has been featured by Splendid Table, The Food Network’s Unwrapped, CNBC’s Closing Bell, Good Morning America Live and numerous other national media outlets. She also is a BJCP beer judge, Certified Cicerone(R), and homebrewer. She tweets about beer as @HerzMuses.

Gwen Conley is the Director of Brewery Production and Quality at Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California, one of the most highly regarded and award-winning breweries in the United States. Previously, she has worked as Quality Assurance and Sensory Director at Flying Dog Brewery and as a Flavor Panel Leader for Ball Packaging Corporation. In a previous life, she was a microbiologist, environmental chemist, and biology teacher. She is a veteran judge at the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival and an instructor for the American Brewer’s Guild and the University of California, San Diego, Brewer’s Certificate Program. She tweets about beer as @SensoryGoddess.