There has been a huge boom recently, beers and burgers. It’s been a classic combination since they were invented, but which beers go best with burgers?
Anywhere you go now, you’ll be able to spot a new craft beer bar selling crazy strawberry and toffee brownie stouts to tempt your taste buds. Next to those bars, we have also seen a boom in burger joints popping up. Whether that’s one of the many franchises flipping burgers or a new gourmet place adding everything from BBQ pulled pork to deep fat fried chocolate bars in between the meat and bun.
Now we will try and answer the question that we have all wondered and all desperately searched an answer for… which beer should I drink with my burger.
1. Er Boqueron
Nothing goes alongside a tasty burger better than some salty fries, but what about a salty beer instead. Er Boqueron is a Spanish beer named after an anchovy, a truly salty fish, so you know what you are getting when you order this salty beer.
This is the first-ever, and still only ever, beer to combine craft beer and salty seawater to create a beautifully unique beverage. This beer is still in accordance with the German Purity Laws of 1516 that declares that beer must only be made from 4 basic ingredients. Those ingredients being barley malt, hops, yeast and water.
Er Boqueron has simply swapped out the water for salty seawater straight from the Mediterranean. This strange salty beer is still tasty and simple. There is no added gas. No filtration. And it is unpasteurized. Just a fresh, blond beer with a wonderful taste to suit a salty, greasy burger. Maybe leave the anchovies off the burger with this beer though.
2. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
When we think of The United States of America, we think of giant burgers. So you need a great American beer to go alongside your great American burger.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for many people is that beer. This is the perfect beer to balance out a cheese-drenched patty. This beer, which has now been brewed for 40 years, started off with a unique new hop named Cascade that was named after the mountain range in the United States.
These amazing hops give the beer its intense flavors of pine and citrus. The smell of the beer and the smoke of the bbq cooking your burger will transport you right into those mountains that the hops are named after.
With 40 years behind them, this beer doesn’t look like it’s going out of fashion any time soon, with good reason too. So next time you’re craving a big greasy burger, make sure you’ve got a few bottles of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Chilling in the fridge ready to go right alongside your meal.
3. Tennent’s Light
If you are watching your weight, you might swap out your red meat burger for something lighter with chicken or maybe a veggie choice. But if you are swapping out the burger, then get a beer that matches.
After trying this low-calorie beer from Tennent’s I had to grab another! Just like veggie burgers swap out the meat but do not sacrifice any taste, so does Tennet’s Light. A beer that’s lower in alcohol (only 3.5%), lower in calories (only 60 calories per bottle), and gluten free, but still full has all the amazing flavor of Tennet’s.
This new beer is created using only 100 percent Scottish grown cereals and fresh highland water, straight from Loch Katrin. It is a light, slightly fruity beer that is blanched perfectly with a hint of sweetness followed by a clear bitterness at the end.
So enjoy this low calorie, low alcohol beer with a nice light burger so you don’t have to worry about the calories but you don’t have to sacrifice the great taste of either.
4. Guinness
Guinness is legendary throughout the world, going by a variety of names, such as The Black Stuff, Irish Champagne, and Black Custard. Some people call it A Meal in a Pint as it is such a thick and filling beer that you’ll be full after just one pint.
So you might not think that this would be a great match for a burger, but for those that can stomach a lot, then this is the perfect match up.
Guinness is a great pairing for burgers as it doesn’t just have to be a drink on the side to wash down your food. Guinness can be used in the burger itself to make the best burger even better.
Adding a small amount of Guinness to the meat when preparing the patties can give an intense, deeply rich flavor that marries perfectly with beer. Throw in a small amount and this will bring your burgers to the next level.
If you are brave enough to take it further, then you can try and make your own Guinness BBQ sauce which blends wonderfully with the smoky flavors and will add another element to the already brilliant Guinness burger. To then go one step further and bring the baker out in you, Guinness bread is famous across Ireland. So if you truly want to make the ultimate pairing with a Guinness burger, then have your try at baking Guinness bread.
Obviously, if you manage all this, a nice pint of The Black stuff on the side is the perfect painting. This is only for the true Guinness lovers out there, so beware.
Get the BBQ & Ice Buckets
Now you’ve got your mouth watering for burgers and beers, you’re ready to go. You’ve got the list of the best beers to go stocked upon, and which burgers to match them with. So go fire up the BBQ, invite all your friends around, and take them on a journey of beers and burgers with all your new knowledge.
