Beer with pasta dishes?

[Whiskas]

Has anyone out there found beer(s) that go(es) well with pasta dishes?
The main categories I have in mind are:

1) Light noodle dishes (e.g. linguine with pesto or olive oil)
2) Noodle dishes with rich cream sauces (e.g. bechemel cream sauce or
alfredo)
3) Noodle dishes with hearty tomato based sauces (spicy)
4) Non-noodle dishes, heavy on the cheese (e.g. lasagna, ravioli,
manicotti).

I don't consider myself a beer neophyte, but I honestly have yet to come
across a beer I would consider matching with pasta. True, pasta and
beer both come from grains; however, when I consider the sauces I just
can't imagine them complementing each other.

thanks
Catfish
"When it comes to beer, I am definitely NOT a bottom-feeder."

[Dave Blake]

In article <3169B8...@goodnet.com>, Whiskas <cat...@goodnet.com>
writes

>Has anyone out there found beer(s) that go(es) well with pasta dishes?
>The main categories I have in mind are:
>
>1) Light noodle dishes (e.g. linguine with pesto or olive oil)
>2) Noodle dishes with rich cream sauces (e.g. bechemel cream sauce or
>alfredo)
>3) Noodle dishes with hearty tomato based sauces (spicy)
>4) Non-noodle dishes, heavy on the cheese (e.g. lasagna, ravioli,
>manicotti).
>

I think I would be inclined to stick with wine for these dishes,
especially the lighter sauces. You could of course try an Italian beer,
Peroni spings to mind, and see if they do go together.

Dave Blake
London, England

[Thomas Aaron Insel]

Whiskas <cat...@goodnet.com> writes:

> Has anyone out there found beer(s) that go(es) well with pasta dishes?
> The main categories I have in mind are:

Things to consider: a good pilsner like Pilsner Urquel. If the
dish is spicy/heavy enough that the hops won't overpower it, you
might try something smooth and hoppy like SNPA or Anchor Liberty.
In addition, a good dry Belgian ale like Duvel or one of the
Trappists (Chimay, etc.) can often take the place of a wine.

Tom
--
Thomas Insel (tin...@uiuc.edu)
"Print recipes for really good ketchup and cottage cheese. Help the man
better himself." -- M.F.K.Fisher on Richard Nixon, qtd. in "Sauce for
the Masses" by Raymond Sokolov in Natural History, 5/84

[Normand Modine]

Whiskas <cat...@goodnet.com> writes:

>Has anyone out there found beer(s) that go(es) well with pasta dishes?

Here are some suggestions:

>1) Light noodle dishes (e.g. linguine with pesto or olive oil)

A nice spicy, garlicky pesto should be complimented by a hoppy
West Coast style American Pale Ale or IPA such as Sierra Nevada PA
or Anchor Liberty. You could even throw a few hop shoots into the
pesto.

>2) Noodle dishes with rich cream sauces (e.g. bechemel cream sauce or
>alfredo)

How about a Belgian Abbey style such as Chimay? The rich, creamy
texture and complex flavors should match the sauce. On the other
hand, a gueze or kriek lambic might provide an interesting contrast.

>3) Noodle dishes with hearty tomato based sauces (spicy)

Whether pizza or pasta, I like a good Bohemian style Pilsner with tomato
based sauces.

>4) Non-noodle dishes, heavy on the cheese (e.g. lasagna, ravioli,
>manicotti).

I might try a British bitter. A relatively light bitter would not
aggravate the heaviness of the dish.

I have tried 1) and 3) with good results. 2) and 4) are just guesses
that sound interesting to me. YMMV.

Normand Modine
mod...@cmt.harvard.edu

[Ira L. Johnson]

>In article <3169B8...@goodnet.com>, Whiskas <cat...@goodnet.com>

>writes
>>Has anyone out there found beer(s) that go(es) well with pasta dishes?

>>3) Noodle dishes with hearty tomato based sauces (spicy)

I enjoy a Grand Cru with mine. Has enough flavor to hold it own aginst a
spicy sauce, but is not so heavy as to weigh down your meal.

Cheers, 1J (pot...@head.dungeon.com)

"Truth is the most valuable thing we have.
Let us economize it" --Mark Twain

[Brian O. Bennett]

>>In article <3169B8...@goodnet.com>, Whiskas <cat...@goodnet.com>
>>writes
>>>Has anyone out there found beer(s) that go(es) well with pasta dishes?
>
>>>3) Noodle dishes with hearty tomato based sauces (spicy)

If your pasta dishes are spicy, a good beer to try with them is Smuttynose
Brewing's Old Brown Dog Ale. It's a flavorful, nutty, brown ale. I had it
last night with a pasta dish that featured a black bean sauce with a healthy
burn.
It went along beautifully.

Brian

--
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Brian Bennett | Evil is just plain bad....
P.O. Box 924 |
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(814) 237-1226 | the rolled-up newspaper of goodness.
Grad Prog in Acoustics | Bad Dog! Bad Dog!
bben...@sabine.acs.psu.edu| -The Tick
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