I adore beer. This much has got to be pretty clear to you at this point. One of the great joys of beer comes from the innumerable variations in style and flavour that you can experience. In this regard, I think that beer is the ultimate beverage for Food Pairings.

Today, I shall be pairing my Dad’s famous BBQ Ribs with McAuslan Brewing’s St. Ambroise Pale Ale. 

My father is actually a fantastic cook. He loves big flavours and he’ll try anything. He’s particularly adept on the BBQ and his ribs are legendary. In order to find the perfect beer to pair with these ribs, I’m looking for a few essential qualities. First, the beer has to have enough flavour so as to be able to hold its own against the sauce, but not so much that it overpowers it. The beer should also have a crisp, dry finish to cut through some of the richness of the sauce.

And yes, these ribs are very rich. Lots of smokey, chipotle flavours, mixed with garlic and mushrooms and a heavy dose of dark molasses sweetness. The St. Ambroise Pale Ale is the perfect beer pairing because it has many complimentary flavours. When you take a mouthful of the beer, the first thing you’ll taste is a nice, sweet demerara sugar flavour that is lighter than the sweetness of the ribs, but compliments it nicely. This is combined with an interesting note of fresh cigar or tabacco leaf, which highlights the smokiness of the sauce. The beer also has a bit of fruitiness, like a burnt orange marmalade kind of flavour  – quite subtle, but it’s there enough to notice and it brightens up the palate. Finally, the Pale Ale has a clean finish, with enough carbonation to efficiently cut through the fattiness of the meat and richness of the sauce.

Independently, both the ribs and the Pale Ale are fantastic. When paired together, however, each highlights and compliments the flavours of the other and elevates one’s sensory experience to glorious heights.