A professional chef takes on beer styles and fun food pairings.
What do I want to eat when I’m sipping on Flanders Red Ale?
The Burgundy of Belgium! A beer that sips like a wine. Tart, oaky, and fruity, Flanders Red Ale is a beer that screams for steak! This is probably the most “on brand” pairing I’ll ever make (I will chalk it up to that age old adage of ‘ain’t broke-don’t fix’). This red ale pairs so well with red meat.
Flanders Red Ales are complex beers. Complex in a fun way, in a bubbly Belgium way. There’s oodles of fruit (cherries, most def), with this unique tannic-dry finish. Differentiating themselves from their Lambic-like lineage, these barrel aged brews have a reduced acidic astringency. Still tart, but less aggressive in it’s sourness. Flanders Red Ales are well loved and prepared with wine maker-esk TLC. Coddled and cared for until they reach their peak potential.
Why Steak & Flanders Red Ale?
I’m not talking about your thin, mealy, marble-lacking steak cuts…I’m talking well-aged, thick, and unctuous cuts like; porterhouse, t-bones, NY strips, and ribeyes. The greater the marbling, the more I like this pairing. Marbling = tender, juicy, meaty flavor. And, well-aged + well-marbled = even more intense beefy flavor.
The acidic properties of a good Flanders Red Ale helps balance those juicy, fattier elements of the steak. Palate cleansing with that fizzy carbonation and fruity flavor. A simple and hearty seasoning, like salt & pepper, is all that’s needed. Especially salt, even salted butter-basted steaks adds some palate contrast with this sour beer (sour and salt, a classic combo).
If you’d like to highlight some of that subtle funk present in FRAs, serve your steak with a little wedge of super creamy bleu (I like gorgonzola dolce or cambozola), either solo or as part of a side salad.
Oh! Frites!!! Yes–a little nod to the region’s preferred style of potato. Gotta have frites. If you’re feeling especially epicurean, double-fry your fries in clarified beef fat–the blánc de boeuf treatment.
Other beefy pairings I wouldn’t turn down…
~Steak Tartare–with it’s own tart & puckery elements that would further highlight Flanders Red Ale’s equally puckery properties.
~Cheesesteaks–especially cheesesteaks with a slightly funkier cheese, like provolone or fontina.
~Steak au Poivre– I love that combination of fruity (FRA) and peppery (au poivre).
Belgium’s Iconic Beef & Flanders Red Ale Pairing
Carbonnade! Carbonnade is this rich and beefy Flemish stew that is spiked with Flanders Red Ale-nom nom nom.
About me—I am a professional chef working my way up the Cicerone certification ladder. I left the typical cheffy grind (after 15+ years) to focus on fun food play, independently working as a recipe/food content developer and restaurant consultant (freelance, full-time, kicking off in 2017). While studying all of these fabulous profiles and sipping my way through 80++ different beer styles. I created a project for myself…”what do I want to eat with these beers”. As a food obsessed professional, I reached into my memory rolodex of flavors and food profiles to find some worthy contenders (that may fly a little outside the box)…
Want to see what food I would like to eat with your beer? Let’s chat! Email me at contact@pattersonwatkins.com
Need some help pairing beer with your food menu? Or, would you like some help creating a food menu that pairs with your beer? I’m always hungry (and thirsty). Email me at contact@pattersonwatkins.com
Are you interested in food or beer related content development? Hit me up! contact@pattersonwatkins.com or check out my portfolio at www.pattersonwatkins.com