Beer and Food Pairings

Garlic is so powerful it is often hard to match garlic-rich foods with beer. For such occasions I always recommend Duvel. Pictured is some pork fat on Russian black bread with some veggies and a little bit of young garlic accompanied by Duvel. I consumed this atop a roof in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, NY.

Duvel is considered the quintessential Belgian Golden Strong Ale by many and was a gateway beer for me. Duvel was one of the first Belgian ales I ever tasted and it was eye opening. The combination of pilsner malts and Saaz hops with a high alcohol ale was a revelation. Duvel is the flagship beer of the Moortgat Brewery, which was founded in 1871 and Duvel was first brewed to commemorate the end of WW!.

Moortgat also brews the Maredsous line of beers, which I adore. In the past few years, they have acquired Brasserie d'Achouffe and DeKoninck. Also, Moortgat invested in the Ommegang Brewery and has recently completely taken ownership of the brewery. Despite these numerous holdings Moortgat has been able to maintain the quality of their products (even if some beer geeks continue to protest that Duvel "used to be better").