Food match

Perfect with pils

A people-pleasing all-rounder, pilsner’s not only a refreshing beer option but works wonderfully well with a range of foods

Pilsner is an often underrated brew, but a good, cold pils could well be the perfect pint. It’s hoppy, but not too hoppy. It’s sharp without making your lips pucker. It’s a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet – a great, refreshing all-rounder that can easily be enjoyed by craft beer lovers and mainstream drinkers alike.

Just as the beer itself appeals to a broad range of tastes, it also pairs nicely with almost any food. Where it comes into its own, however, is with spicy dishes like Indian or Thai. With its own fair share of zing, a fruitier pilsner, such as the Port Road Pilsner from Panhead, will knock the heat out of a curry, cooling your palate.

As the craft beer revolution rolls on, there are some pretty unusual takes on this German classic around right now. The Garage Project Pils n’ Thrills is a good example, with citrus notes and malty undertones that work well with the paprika and spicy flavours in Mexican food.

Pizza is another great match. Those crisp hoppy notes go perfectly with the yeasty base and the clean taste of tomatoes and basil. Because pilsner is quite a light beer, it won’t overshadow the more delicate flavours such as that of buffalo mozzarella. Emerson’s Pilsner has a slight sweetness, making it a good match for Mediterranean food. Or try an Epic Awakening Pils, with its long, bitter finish, with a gourmet sandwich – ciabatta, serrano ham and fresh tomato works well, or pastrami on rye.

To finish, you can even break out the cheeseboard with your pilsner too – a maltier option, such as the one by Stoke, works well with a baked brie, a mild cheddar, or even a creamy blue.

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