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Easter is a festive, fun and reflective time, where families gather in their finery to join around the table to celebrate with a variety of delicious springtime foods. But what beer should you pair with these dishes? There are over 100 different beer styles to choose from so there are lots of options.
Below are some of the classics of Easter fare paired with beer with illustrations by me, the founder of the educational drinks website Pints and Panels. I recommend looking to your local brewery to see who brews these styles as almost all breweries in America are very regional or very small. Support your local brewery if the quality is high and you enjoy their businesses practices. And if you can’t find the style of beer you are looking for, find a good local beer shop that can assist you. There are many great local stores in the U.S. that treat their beer with care.
Easter Beer and Food Pairing: Ham and Maibock
Maibocks are a traditional German lager beer style brewed to usher in the coming of spring. With flavors of toast and a tinge of toffee plus some herbal notes from the hops, maibocks complement many dishes. Since ham is both a sweet and salty dish, you want a beer that can stand up those types of flavors and maibocks can do that with ease. The alcohol content of maibocks can be higher too (usually 6.5% to 7.5% ABV) so that smoothness will pair well with the ham as well.
Easter Beer and Food Pairing: Lamb Chops and Tripel
Belgian tripels are the gold standard for beer and food pairings as they pair with so many foods. Tripels are higher in ABV (8-10% ABV), have a spritzy carbonation and also lovely sweet and spicy flavors/aromas of pear and white pepper. This big flavor punch helps this golden beer stand up to higher fat, flavorful meats like steak or lamb. It’ll also add that salty/sweet flavor contrast that’s so delicious.
Easter Beer and Food Pairing: Scalloped Potatoes and Golden Lager
Yes you can most assuredly pair side dishes with beer! For scalloped potatoes, I recommend a refreshing golden lager. There are many golden lagers to choose from as well like American lagers with subtle fruit flavors to German helles to export lagers that have a touch of minerality. These beers will help cleanse your palate between each gooey bite.
Easter Beer and Food Pairing: The Easter Brunch Buffet and Hefeweizen
The Easter brunch is very popular and when you go to a buffet, you’ll have lots of choices. I like choosing a beer that mimics the flavors of breakfast drinks like coffee (porter or stout) or orange juice (hazy IPA) but, in reality, the German style hefeweizen is the ultimate brunch beverage. It has high carbonation and loads of fruit flavors that come from organic byproducts of the yeast. The beer has flavors of banana and clove or choose the darker version of this style, called dunkelweizen, for a beer that tastes like liquid banana bread.
Easter Beer and Food Pairing: Carrot Cake and Double IPA
And now it’s time for dessert and one of my favorites for Easter is carrot cake. Double IPAs have great tropical and citrus flavors from the hops that will make the dessert taste like you added extra pineapple or tropical fruit right into the cake. The alcohol in double IPAs is usually around 7.5-10% ABV so it’s a perfect end to the day.
Cheers to you and yours this season and remember to drink responsibly and share beers with people you truly care about.
