Fine Vines

A Heady Mix

by Eunice Fried

Beer, with all its complexities, makes an ideal companion for food.

“Beer should be served with foam,” beer expert Marc Stroobandt said. “That’s the way we get its full flavor.” He might have added that beer should also be served with food, since that’s the way we can experience its full pleasure.

We were indulging our appetites at Restaurant Boekhandelstraat in Leuven, Belgium, where Stroobandt was in fact doing just that — matching beer to each course of our meal.

Beginning with a soup of poached filet of sole and vegetables seasoned with thyme and lemon, Stroobandt chose Hoegaarden Witbier, a Belgium white ale that has thick foam, a fresh, lightly spicy nose and a bare hint of orange; it matched beautifully with our soup. The beer Hoegaarden is made in the village of Hoegaarden, where Begarden monks began brewing bière blanche, the original Belgian White — or Wit —Ale, in the 1400s.

Equally old was the history of the beer served with our main course, pork tenderloin with a Ghent mustard sauce, haricots verts and roasted potatoes. Stella Artois, a crisp, goldenshaded lager, had its origins in Leuven in 1366 under the name Den Horen and evolved with the sale of the company in 1717 to its current name. It is still made in Leuven as well as in some 30 other countries. “The bitterness of the beer cuts through the creaminess and tones down the mustard in the sauce,” Stroobandt explained, “while the sweetness of the beer blends well with the pork and potatoes.” The match? Perfection.

And then there was dessert, crème brûlée topped with crunchy orange caramel “lace.” I could not imagine a beer existed that could partner it. I was wrong. Leffe Blonde, an Abbey beer that, despite its name, is more amber than blonde, turned out to be creamy and rich, its sweetness balanced with delicate bitterness, its fruitiness balanced with gossamer subtlety: a surprise, a delight, a magnificent marriage.

But why should I be surprised? According to Paul Van de Walle, Stella Artois’s brew master, “Beer has 2,000 components and is very complex; it is, in fact, much more complex than wine.”

Chosen well, it also has a great affinity with food.

 

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