With 30 different taps available and always rotating, we love dreaming up new beer and food pairings with our neighbors in Beaverton. Below we share some beer and food pairings with shout outs to local Beaverton restaurants within a few short minutes of Central Station Taps.
What to Consider Before Pairing
The science of taste aside, there's no wrong way to pair a beer and food if it suits your preferences, but if you want the most out of your meals and beers there are a few things to consider.
The biggest mistake people make in beer pairings is allowing flavors to overpower each other. You're here to enjoy the beer and food alike! A quick rule-of-thumb is to pair dark beers with heavy meals and you'll get the flavors of them both. Light beers with lights meals works just as well. You can also use your beers as a pallet cleanser when you're enjoying spicy meals or as a way to balance sweetness if you're enjoying a dessert.
Below we share some basic beer and food pairings with shout outs to local Beaverton restaurants.
Beaverton Food Pairings
Light Lagers - Refreshing, bright, and crisp
An American favorite, the light lager is great for spicy dishes, fried foods, cheeses and light noodle dishes.
Pick up loaded fries from FRY BAR or some spicy Mexican food from Pepita's Mexican Restaurant to compliment.
Dark Lagers - Nutty, Rich, sometimes sweet
Caramel is often added to dark lagers to give them just a hint of sweetness and they go down smooth. These are great to pair with darker meats, burgers, and pizzas.
We love pizza from Mingo's and it's always worth a trip to Burger Stevens.
IPAs - Bitter, often citrus or herbal, and sometimes hoppy
IPAs, you love 'em or hate 'em. Because of the variety of IPAs available they can pair well with a number of different foods. Some of the most popular are BBQ, fries, steak, Burritos. Just make sure you're pairing them with something just as strong in taste as they are!
Wolf's Head Smokehouse has just the BBQ for your IPA dreams.
Brown Ales - low bitterness, chocolate undertones, malt
The Brown ales get overlooked, but they're a timeless classic that compliments a lot of different foods because of their malty, nutty, chocolate taste. Sit down and enjoy darker meats, BBQ, fish and even sushi with the Brown Ale by your side.
Our neighbors across the street at Mio Sushi have you covered!
Photo by Vinicius Benedit
Amber Ales - a great balance of hop and malt
A beer for bold flavors! Because Amber Ales tend to be so balanced, they're great to pair with heavier meals to light the whole dish. They're great with pulled pork, tacos, chicken, and sandwiches.
Richi's Tacos is a must-visit food cart for street tacos!
Porters - usually mild in flavor with hints of coffee, toffee, and nuts
Porters are rich, but not overwhelming so they can pair well with game meats, rich stews, chili and seafood.
Hearty, delicious and always friendly, Sub Station is the perfect place to visit when you're in the mood for a Porter and a sandwich.
Stouts - strong, roasted, bitter, coffee, molasses and dark chocolate
This beer is creamy and rich, which is why one of the most famous food pairings is Guinness and oysters. A stout can cut through the brine of oysters and they compliment each other well. Stouts also pair well with desserts and we love them with a nice vanilla ice cream.
Keep yourself cool with a scoop or two of ice cream from Ome Calli and a freshly poured stout.
Wheat Beers - Light, fresh, and often citrus or fruity
The wheat used in wheat beers doesn't leave the beer with much flavor, so brewers often add in their own twist with citrus or fruits. This also makes them very nice for a number of dishes. Keep things light with your wheat beers by pairing them with something spicy, a salad, or some buttery desserts.
Thai Bloom! has some amazing spicy noodle dishes that will compliment your wheat beer. Or if you're looking for something sweet, try Tous les Jours for pastries and breads.
Do you have a favorite beer/food pairing? We allow to-go food of all kinds at our tap house and guarantee we'll find a beer that matches nicely with it! Cheers and see you soon!
Comments