So Doug is brimming with doubts and fears about pairing IPAs. Obviously, it must now be my mission in life to find good IPA pairings.
Tonight featured a little something I shot from the hip. I essentially just scoured my fridge and freezer for ingredients that needed to be used up and which would go together. I ended up throwing in half a yellow onion, some celery, carrots, and chicken. A little olive oil, and a package of Italian dressing mix (it came in a box with 4!) and simmer while the noodles cook. I had penne on hand. Once the veggies and chicken were cooked through, I added in a jar of roasted red pepper alfredo we had on the shelf and let it all simmer just a little longer.
Chicken, cream, and lots of cheese. Can't be messed up.
At that point, I put everything in a casserole dish and covered with various cheeses we had on hand: white cheddar, yellow cheddar, and feta. I baked it all at 375 for about 15 minutes, served it up on a plate and then topped with fresh grated romano cheese. It was great, and Sweetwater IPA went very nicely with it.
American IPA is my favorite style, and Sweetwater IPA is among my favorites. I’ve probably tasted close to a hundred different IPAs over the years, yet Southeastern brewery Sweetwater produces one of my faves, even compared to many Pacific Northwest examples. It also happens to have been my first.
It has these remarkable fruity/peachy undertones produced solely by the hops. And these flavors melded well with the carrots, celery, and roasted red pepper of this homespun Italian-style dish.
I imagine there’s something out there that would have gone even better, but this was certainly good.
Tags: chicken alfredo, IPA, Sweetwater Brewing
January 12th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Perhaps I overstated my theory. I’m sure IPAs can be paired with some foods, especially balanced IPAs, as Stuart suggested. I personally haven’t experienced any phenomenal pairing, let alone any good pairings for IPAs. However, I have certainly had some very bad pairings between IPAs and spicy dishes after having been told that IPAs pair well with spicy foods. Anyhow, I’m glad you found a great dish to go with a great IPA, which Sweetwater is. I agree that hoppy beers can pair well with certain foods, and I will post such an example soon.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Ah. I got the impression you thought IPAs were the devil in food pairing. I look forward to your future IPA postings. My favorite style, after all. I’m a little obsessed.