Friends getting ready
to dig in!

There was, however, one great obstacle in our path that prevented us from following the book to the letter – namely, Anheuser-Busch. While Anheuser-Busch produces a wide array of beer products not all are available at all times in all places. There are seasonal beers such as their Maerzen, Stout and Dopplebock that were unavailable because of the time of year. Others weren’t available in our area. For these, substitutions were made in accordance with the required style.

In order to test the book solely on its own merits it also became necessary to strictly enforce the no-deviation-from-the-recipe rule. Every cook likes to tweak a recipe and our panelists were no different. All of them, if permitted, would monkey around with their recipe assignment, adulterating the results.

Eight pairings were selected: Spanish Garlic Shrimp was served with the recommended Budweiser Select, Michelob Ultra was the suggested accompaniment of the Poblano-Garlic Guacamole. The Cheesy Pigs-in-a-Blanket were paired with Budweiser and the Garlic Smashed Potato Salad was matched with Grolsch European style Pilsner, an Anheuser-Busch-owned label. Other dishes were paired with suitable substitutes where the Anheuser-Busch product was not available. The Maerzen-braised shortribs were paired with Hubsch Sudwerk Märzen. The Polenta with Sausage and Tomato dish, as well as the Mushroom-Potato Soup with Paprika, were paired with Anchor Porter. For the English-style Pale Ale that was to accompany the Slow-Cooker Paprikash, River Otter Ale was used.

Although hardly comprehensive, the menu offered a sampling of the variety of different beer pairings. Of the dishes, the Spanish garlic shrimp and Budweiser Select pairing was very well received. Ditto for the Michelob Ultra and the Poblano-Garlic Guacamole. The Garlic Smashed Potato Salad was deemed bland and the Slow-Cooker Paprikash was too dry, probably from using breast meat rather than darker meat (but there I go, monkeying around with the recipe). The Polenta with Sausage and Tomato and the Mushroom-Potato soup with Paprika were both excellent stand alone dishes but paired very well with the Anchor Porter.

Perhaps the most popular dish was the Maerzen-Braised Shortribs. Rich, flavorful and fall-off-the-bone tender, it also provided an ironic discovery. While the suggested pairing of Maerzen was both obvious and satisfactory, it proved lesser than the stellar match provided by a bottle of Dopplebock that was coincidentally at hand.

The exhausting exercise left our panel satiated, but satisfied that we had done our bit to expand our culinary horizons with a bit of help from the gang down at Anheuser-Busch.