FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 26, 2021
Contact: Meridith Tucker
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Fall Food & Beer Pairing Guide
Leading beer distributor organization provides food and beer pairing tips for the fall season
OKLAHOMA CITY — For many Oklahomans, fall is synonymous with cooler weather, pumpkins, football and upcoming holidays. Fall is also the busiest time for Oklahoma beer distributors because of the increased demand for beer and the larger selection of beers available in the Sooner State. To fully embrace this season alongside tasty fall beers, the Oklahoma Beer Alliance has put together a food and beer pairing guide. This guide provides food and beer pairing ideas that can take Oklahomans from apple picking, pumpkin patches and football games, to Halloween and Thanksgiving.
“We hope this guide provides inspiration for Oklahomans hosting gatherings, watching football games, and celebrating Halloween or Thanksgiving this fall,” Lisette Barnes, president of the Oklahoma Beer Alliance said. “Oklahoma has an incredible selection of brews around the state this fall and these pairings can help elevate even small gatherings to something memorable.”
Outdoor activity food and beer pairings:
- Apple cider donuts – These donuts feature sweet apple, cinnamon and spice flavors that really encompass all the best flavors of fall. These would pair well with an Apple Crisp Bud Light hard seltzer. The hard seltzer will cut through the moist and dense donut while accentuating the apple flavors.
- Caramel apples – Embrace this quintessential fall fair treat with a fellow fall flavor – pumpkin. Caramel apples need a solid spice profile to stand up to the complex sweet flavor and would pair well with a pumpkin beer like Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat. The body of this pumpkin wheat beer and its autumnal spices will enhance the caramel apples.
Football food and beer pairings:
- Pigs in a blanket – This tried-and-true tailgate food is the perfect savory, filling and greasy bite that few can resist. Pair your next pig in a blanket with a pilsner lager, like Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser. The light and crisp pilsner will cut through the savory grease of the little piggy and provide a clean palate for the next bite.
- Hot dogs on a pretzel bun with cheddar and sautéed apples – Elevate your next football tailgate or watch party with hot dogs on a pretzel bun with white cheddar cheese and sauteed apples. This sweet and savory hot dog will pair perfectly with a hoppy IPA like Elysian’s Space Dust IPA. The rich and full flavors of the IPA will enhance the beef and cheese flavors, while also melding well with the apple.
Halloween candy and beer pairings:
- SNICKERS® – This candy bar has chocolate, caramel, peanuts, and nougat so a strong beer is needed to stand up to these robust flavors. The best beer to pair with a Snickers would be a stout that could cut through the sweetness, like Four Peaks Brewing’s Oatmeal Stout. This beer leads with slight bitterness and follows with a dark chocolate taste. It will be just enough to cut through the denseness of the candy bar while still enjoying the chocolate flavors.
- Peanut butter cups – Peanut butter cups have strong flavors of chocolate and peanut butter that can be very dense and overtake the taste buds. A great beer to pair with this would be Elysian’s The Fix. This beer is a chocolate coffee stout, which would bring more depth of flavor to the candy.
Thanksgiving food and beer pairings:
- Turkey – As the star of Thanksgiving dinner, turkey can be roasted, fried or even smoked, but no matter which way you choose to cook your bird, a beer that enhances the turkey flavor will be key. Brown ales, hefeweizens and Oktoberfest beer varieties would all pair well with a Thanksgiving turkey because of their robust flavors and smooth, clean finishes. A Thanksgiving turkey would pair best with Leffe Brune’s Brown Ale, Golden Road’s Hefeweizen, or Breckenridge Brewery’s Oktoberfest.
- Pumpkin Pie – Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without pumpkin pie. The flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and pumpkin are a great way to finish out the big meal and a fantastic opportunity to pair with a great dessert beer like Breckenridge Brewery’s Vanilla Porter. The vanilla flavors of the beer will go perfectly with the pumpkin pie and round out a great dinner.
About Oklahoma Beer Alliance
The Oklahoma Beer Alliance is dedicated to promoting common sense laws that enable Oklahomans to choose the highest quality products without compromise, while encouraging personal responsibility throughout our community that benefits the common good. For more information, please visit okbeeralliance.com.
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