It’s that time of year! What was left of the snow banks have all melted away, and the sun is up early and out late for all of us to enjoy! We all know what that means- it’s BBQ season! But before you slap a smokey Texas BBQ sauce on your rack of ribs, here are a few simple guidelines to follow to make sure you are getting the best flavour combos out of your beers and BBQ’s. 

• Light beer should be served with light food, and heavy beer with heavy food
• Beer that was used in preparation of a dish should be the one that is served along with the dish.
• You will want to avoid serving beer with food items that are cooked with wine.

Too Spicy Or Not Spicy Enough?

When you’re eating a spicy BBQ meal whether its chicken, pork or seafood, there are two ways to go when deciding to pair a beer with the dish- you can either enhance the heat or cool down the burn. Whichever way you decide, we have a few suggestions. 

To tame the heat, you will want to have a beer that balances out the spicy flavours of the dish. Beers that have more pronounced malts rather than hops do this very well, like amber ales. Light lagers are also a good way to go to balance out the heat. 

If you’re a person that likes to turn up the heat, go for a pale ale or IPA. These options have more hops, and the bitterness actually accentuates the spice in the food giving you an extra punch of heat! Try to stay away from beers that are too sweet or very dark, as they can overpower the flavours from the food. 

Need a Ridge Rock amber, blonde or IPA for your BBQ dinner this season? We have tall cans available for purchase at our brewery, stop by and take home your favourite beer with you!