The Type Of Ale That Pairs With Lamb Dishes Like A Dream

Lamb may be a little less common in your meal rotation than beef, chicken, pork, or even fish, but if prepared well, it can be a tender and delicious protein for all sorts of dishes. Whether you're cooking up a perfect roasted leg of lamb or throwing a ground shoulder cut on the grill to make lamb burgers, you're going to want a refreshing drink on the side to cut through the gamey flavor or compliment its complexity.

Ales are a natural choice to pair with lamb, but how can you be sure you're choosing the right one? Ales are distinct from lagers, occupying a category of beer brewed with top-fermenting yeasts, which encompasses quite a wide variety. For beer and food pairing guidance, Chowhound turned to Chris Cusack, owner of the Houston-based pizzeria and cocktail bar Betelgeuse Betelgeuse. Cusack is not only a sommelier, he's also a cicerone which makes him a legitimate beer expert.

When it comes to pairing lamb with ales, Cusack believes you can hardly go wrong. "There are so many great pairings for lamb," he says, adding, "Between pales, reds, or IPAs I would most often go with a red ale or an amber ale. The toasted barley brings out a maltiness that goes great with lamb."

Try red or pale ales, but skip the IPAs

To understand the many different types of beer, the first thing to know is that a few important ingredients used to brew beer give it distinct characteristics. While the variety of yeast (and temperature) used in the brewing process differentiates ales from lagers, the type, amount, and roast of grains used are some of the main factors that make the difference between dark and light beers, and give different ales their particular colors. Red and amber ales tend to be more malt-forward in flavor, owing to their use of malted grains, also known as roasted specialty and caramel "malts."

Though Chris Cusack enjoys drinking these darker ales with lamb dishes, he also sees the merit in choosing a lighter pale ale with fewer malts — as long as it is low in hops. With a bit of a wink, he says, "Playing devil's advocate to myself however — a less aggressively hopped pale ale goes great with lamb. ... A light hop bite will cut through the rich fattiness of lamb without taking over."

Though pale ales and IPAs are typically similar in color and grain composition, crucially, IPAs are much higher in hops, the plant that gives beer a bitter and citrusy flavor. Cusack warns against drinking one of these with a lamb dish, advising, "I wouldn't necessarily recommend aggressive IPAs with lamb, as the hoppiness can distract from the dish."

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