JULY/AUG 1998

VOL.3 NO.7

Barbecues and Vegetables and Beer -- Light Up the Grill!

Sizzling steaks, tangy ribs, succulent honey-garlic chicken wings -- if these taste treats are what spring to mind when you think of barbecued food, you are not alone. For most people, carnivorous cravings and the outdoor grill go together as naturally as, well, ribs and sauce.

With the emerging popularity of vegetarianism, however, many of us are beginning to discover that the glories of the grill need not be confined solely to meat and poultry. Tender young zucchini, autumn's bounty of peaches-and-cream corn, a rainbow of sweet peppers, earthy wild mushrooms and even the heretofore much-maligned eggplant are now receiving barbecue consideration in many a Canadian household. And just as we have unearthed the joys of grilled veggies, we have also found that there is a beer perfectly suited to complement each one of these new tastes, from charred, roasted red peppers to "great imposter" vegetarian burgers.

You don't have to be vegetarian to enjoy the grilled bounty of the earth, and you needn't be a beer lover to appreciate the wonderful ways that beer can partner your food. Take, for example, a fruit beer like the Apple Ale from Niagara Falls Brewing or the Wisconsin Belgian Red cherry beer from New Glarus Brewing. These are genuinely fruity brews that are suited not only to the sweet, delectable flavours of roasted peppers bathed in olive oil, but also to the picky palates of those who ordinarily pale at the thought of a full-bodied ale.

Similarly, the orange peel and coriander spicing of a refreshing Belgian white beer, such as the Belgian Blanche de Bruges or Hoegaarden White, or the Quebec-brewed Blanche de Chambly, will make a believer out the most sceptical beer disdainer, and provide the perfect complement to the sweet, buttery flavour of grilled corn-on-the-cob in the bargain.

Of course, any true beer lover will be sorely tempted by the above taste sensations, but some more traditional aficionados may prefer a more conventional brew with their barbecued vegetables. In this case, take a fresh, earthy best bitter such as the Batemans XXXB or Fuller's London Pride, both of England, and match it with grilled portobello mushrooms for a flavour marriage made in heaven. Or perhaps offer a light ale such as the Boréale Blonde of Québec or a New World kölsch-style beer with the seemingly endless supply of fruit from your garden zucchini plant, tenderly grilled to bring out all of its sweetness.

And for those of you who wish to eat vegetarian while making yourself think you are still dining on meat, there are a surprising number of very credible vegetable burgers on the market these days, including several that, when barbecued, will almost have you believing the manufacturer slipped in some beef when no one was looking. The thing to remember, though, is that these patties will generally not be as sweet as beef burgers, so a full, malty ale may overpower their taste; better a lighter, balanced beer such as the famed Anchor Steam, or perhaps the spiciness of a good rye ale, to serve as the gastronomic foil here.

In the final analysis, this beer lover has to conclude that there are few, if any, beverages better suited to complementing barbecued fare, whether it be meat or vegetable. And after one taste of any of the above matches, I'm betting that you will agree.

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