Beer and food have always enjoyed a special relationship, so it follows that brewers and restaurants often join forces to accentuate each other’s creations. They are alchemists of sorts that combine art and science to create flavorful magic through distinctive ingredients. Here are few examples of these collaborations.
Higgins Anniversary Ale
pFriem Family Brewers and Higgins
A longtime proponent of local craft breweries, Higgins, in Portland, Oregon, collaborated with Hood River’s pFriem Family Brewers to create a beer for the restaurant’s 25th anniversary. The result was a Belgian-style farmhouse ale made with Calamondin oranges, cardamom and green peppercorns.
Ivan Ramen To Bíiru
Mikkeller NYC and Ivan Ramen
When Ivan Ramen established a pop-up restaurant for a week at Mikkeller’s Copenhagen bar, the two decided to brew something special. To Biiru is a kellerbier, an unfiltered, unpasteurized lager. A crisp, refreshing drink, it pairs great with ramen’s salty broth.
Black Seed Glow Up
Folksbier Brauerei and Black Seed Bagels
Bagels and beer may seem like a strange pairing, but this Berliner weisse-style sour ale gives a new twist to the term “liquid bread.” It’s brewed with leftover bagels and the same honey Black Seed boils bagels in. Don’t worry, they skipped the lox and cream cheese.
Sumi Babka
Grimm Artisanal Ales and Mekelburg’s
Why choose between beer and dessert? Grimm Artisanal Ales teamed with Mekelburg’s, a craft beer bar/specialty food shop with two locations in Brooklyn, New York, to make this imperial milk stout with cacao, vanilla and salt. It’s a full-bodied, sweet treat that packs a heavy punch at 12% alcohol by volume (abv).
Back to the Grill Again
Interboro Spirits & Ales and Pig Beach
Interboro brewed an ideal warm-weather beer for indoor-outdoor barbecue restaurant Pig Beach in Brooklyn, New York. With an Amarillo, Jarrylo and Mosaic hop profile, this sessionable IPA with 6% abv is juicy enough to quench a summer thirst and with a dry, mildly bitter finish. It’s perfect to cut through the richness of pulled pork or a rack of ribs.
Published: July 3, 2019
