Fall is just around the corner (sad, but true), which can mean only one thing… Oktoberfest, ja! So, in honor of Oktoberfest, today’s pairing lesson is all about German amber lagers, perfect for the coming season!
Oktoberfest/Märzen
Oktoberfest/Märzen is a medium-bodied lager with a broad range of color, from golden to reddish orange. The bitterness is moderate, [...]

Just wanted to draw your attention to a new page I created here at brew.cook.pair.joy – Pairing Lessons! Yay, new!!!
Now you can easily access all of the pairing lessons from the handy-dandy link right in the header of the site! See it? Right there next to the RSS Feed (which you should totally subscribe to)? [...]

Warm, blissful, Memorial Day Weekend is coming up, which means summer is almost here! If you’re looking for beer to serve at your Memorial Day BBQ, you’ve come to the right place. Today I’m going to talk about some of the hoppier beer styles!
Pale Ale
American pale ales are light to medium amber in color, [...]

Spring is right around the corner! So today, I thought I’d talk about pairings for some lighter beer styles.
Kölsch
Originating from Cologne, Germany, this pale, gently hop-accented style has a subtle, delicate flavor and a mild fruitiness. Kölsch is fermented with ale yeast at ale temperatures followed by a lagering period, which promotes extra [...]

Since we’re currently in the dead of winter, and it happens to be snowing right now as I type this, I thought I’d write about some comforting, soul-warming beer styles.
(Sweet) Stout and Porter
There’s an on-going debate about how to define the distinctions between these two styles. The line between stout and porter is pretty fuzzy [...]

It’s round about time I started talking about pairing, like I promised to a couple weeks ago. I thought I’d start off by talking about wheat beers.
Hefeweizen, American Wheat Ale, and Witbier
Each of these styles has its own defining characteristics, but in general, these wheat beers are light in color and flavor, low in hop [...]

Since my blog is called “brew.cook.pair.joy,” I decided it was time to add a little more “pair” to the equation. I’ve mentioned some pairings here and there, but I think it’s time I really focused on some specifics.
First off, if you want to learn more about beer and food pairing, an excellent resource is a [...]