Beer & Dessert Pairing Guide

With brews such as oatmeal raisin cookie, peanut butter milk stout and horchata it's no secret that beer and sweets are a winning combo. Gone are the days when the only thing they served with beer were pretzels. 

But pairing beer with desserts isn't as simple as one thinks. Depending on the type of beer whether pilsner, hefeweizen, IPA or any other beer of choice, it may require a more sweeter or more subtle dessert. That's why Shari's Berries has created a beer and dessert pairing guide to enhance your next brew experience. There are 16 different types of beer to choose from.  Which pairing will you try first?

~ Colleen

Western Beer Club member

Beer Flow Chart

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Microbrew-Themed Cruises

Crystal Cruises is putting a twist on its "Wine & Food" Experiences of Discovery motif by replacing the wine with lagers, stouts and IPAs that are barrel-aged, made with bacon, have names like Funky Old Time, and more – all for a new Microbrew-themed luxury cruise.  Read more.

Postmark

Did you know there is a Railtown in Vancouver?  I don’t feel like much of a Vancouverite because I didn’t know that, and I’ve lived here all my life! It is located East of Gastown and North of Chinatown. It is mostly an industrial area, with great funky coffee and sandwich shops in and around. And this is where you’ll find Postmark.

Postmark started out as a Fresh Tap winery with a dream of “one day” opening a brew pub. After talking to Steve a dream is what it was.  He never in his wildest dreams thought it would come true, but the stars aligned and on June 17^th Postmark opened their doors.

They have an amazing set up, elegant and classy yet it is not pretentious or stuffy. As you walk towards this incredible building, built in 1921, look to your left and you’ll see there sort of outdoor growler filling station (you’ll understand when you arrive). A large open window will allow you to get your growler filled and not have to get congested with the guests enjoying flights inside. Make sure to look up, the light fixture is an old farm wheel.

As you walk through the giant doors, standing about 12 feet high you’ll notice large steel tanks where all the fantastic beer is being brewed.  Enter into the tasting room where there are several tables and cozy couches to settle into to enjoy a flight, pint or even a glass of fresh tap wine.

Behind the bar are beautiful chalk boards showing off the lists of wine and beers available, as well the creations the chef is preparing.

At their opening, which I was lucky to attend, they had 2 beers available Red IPA, as well as Saison. Both were excellent and I recommend a trip into Railtown to sample.  By the end of July they will have a Stout and a Hefe available. The Hefe is what I am looking forward, described as a dry Bavarian style Weiss beer brewed with lemon zest and local raspberries!


Thanks to Kate, Mike, Steve & the rest of the staff for a great night, I look forward to sampling your future beers, and even some fresh tap. 

 

~ Colleen

 

more photos here

  

Beer Pairing

STYLE OF BEER	PAIRS WELL WITH
Lager	Spicy food, barbeque, hamburgers, chili, bread pudding, poached pears, fruit flan.
Pale Ale	Meat pie, English cheese, grilled meats, duck liver pate, blackened chicken, pumpkin flan, banana foster.
India Pale Ale	Spicy food, Thai and Mexican food, curries, grilled steak, mussels, carrot cake, caramel apples pie, fig crème brulle
Saison	Rib-eye steak, salmon, mussel, calamari, sausage, Thai and Vietnamese food, fruit tart, citrus sorbet.
Lambic, Gueze (sour)	Sockeye salmon, duck a l’orange, sweet & sour pork, apricot tart, baked pears.
Porter	Sockeye food, barbeque, blackened fish, sausage, roasted meat chocolate, toasted coconut.
Imperial Stout	Beef carpaccio, foie gras, smoked goose, chocolate, salted caramel pot de crème, expresso cheesecake.