Food

Five tips on pairing food with beer from DeepWood restaurant's Colin Vent.

1. Spicy foods such as southeast Asian, Indian and Central/South American pair well with the beers they produce there, generally pilsner-styled lagers (excluding the excellent Sri Lankan Lion Stout). The crisp body helps tame the heat.

2. Classic garnishes for cheeses include nuts, lightly acidic fruits and sweets such as jams and honeys. Beer can fill these rolls: a nutty brown ale, sweet hoppy double IPA or tangy wheat ale can provide these balances.

3. Stouts and porters, the darkest beer styles, match chocolate and coffee flavors in desserts or meat dishes very well. Their dark color comes from highly roasted barley that lends a degree of bitter roast character. Try a coffee rub on beef, or a Mexican Mol?.

4. Belgian beers exhibit a high level of complexity due to their various yeast characteristics. They're often spicy, tangy or fruity. If you pair them up with foods featuring spices and herbs, those foods will help pull similar flavors forward from the beer.

5. Barleywines are beers that feature a rich body, sweet flavor and, in the case of American versions, a high degree of hoppy bitterness. These beers are built to stand up to almost any cuisine, and any course. British versions tend to be much more syrupy and fruity, making them excellent stand-ins for dessert wines such as ports and Madeiras during dessert courses. American examples' high level of hops helps them stand up to rich and fatty meats as well as creamy sauces and starches.

This story was published in the Dayton Daily News.