Great Food, Great Beer
Written by Dan Clarke   
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 08:25
GreatBeer-GreatFood

The Anheuser-Busch Cookbook

Sunset Books, 2007 Soft Cover,
9” x 11.5”, 304 pages $24.95
Pairing wine with food is a venerated custom in the world of haute cuisine. As our own culture has become more food-oriented this practice has percolated down to the level of more ordinary cuisine. The burgeoning popularity of craft beers over the past fifteen years has increased the choices available to beer drinkers exponentially. If you need any evidence, compare the inventory of craft beers in the refrigerator case at your local grocery compared to only ten years ago. This growing segment of the food and beverage market begged for the inclusion of beer in the concept of pairings. It turns out beer drinkers are every bit as finicky about their brew as wine drinkers are about their vino. It was inevitable then that the same principles that make wine and food pairing popular would become vogue for beer. And further, that books on the topic would soon appear.

Thus we are presented with a broad new tome on the subject by brewing heavyweight Anheuser-Busch, which has published “GREAT FOOD, GREAT BEER”. This book picks up the baton in the ever-widening world of food and beverage pairing. Its general purpose is to increase awareness of the propriety of matching particular types of beer with appropriate foods. The book contains 185 recipes and, as would be expected, is organized into various divisions i.e. starters-soups-salads, poultry, fish, vegetables, meats, etc. The first portion of the book is dedicated to instruction on the process of beer making and the various types and styles of beers that are brewed. Not surprisingly, Anheuser-Busch can supply all of the different styles described (if they don’t make it, they own it). Also elucidated are the various types of glassware used to accentuate particular characteristics of the various brews along with instruction on how to properly pour beer. There are also suggested menus for entertaining and instruction on properly pairing beer and food.

The Midwestern pedigree of Anheuser-Busch is on full display as a significant portion of the recipes are hearty, familiar fare such as spareribs, burgers, steaks and other comfort foods that are fairly easy to make, although there is a nod to more contemporary tastes with some Asian dishes and salads given a bit of shelf space as well. The book is lavishly photographed and the colorful illustrations of many of the dishes serve to properly set the mouth to watering.

"Great Food Great Beer” is a welcome addition to the kitchen library of beer drinkers or anybody else that enjoys broadening their culinary horizons.

Reviewed by Michael Eady


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