Why Heineken is the perfect beer to pair with food

We took a trip to Amsterdam to find out how Heineken delivers perfectly balanced flavours

While many of you reading this article will be familiar with pairing wine with food, many may not think of beer as a good pairing with a meal.

You would be wrong.

Others may think that “beer is just beer” and “all tastes the same.”

You are wrong too.

Heineken is so perfectly balanced, it pairs well with almost any food you can imagine, and if you don't believe us, how about the acclaimed chef's wine?

We took a trip to Amsterdam, the home of Heineken, to find out what sets this famous beer apart from the rest.

Visit the Heineken Experience in the original brewery in the heart of Amsterdam and discover how Heineken's perfectly balanced taste is due to its five-star brewing principles.

This includes the use of high quality pure malt and 100% natural ingredients. But in addition, Heineken also has a special clown – the famous A yeast.

Developed by Dr. Hartog Elion in the late 19th century, Heineken still uses the same yeast strain to brew beer today, giving it a perfectly balanced flavour.

But it's not just the ingredients. Method is also critical. Horizontal fermenters are used to create a large surface area when sugar is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Horizontal tanks alleviate the problem of excessive pressure on the beer at the bottom of the tank, helping to provide the balance and consistency that beer is known for.

When you combine all of these factors, you get a beer that tastes refreshing and balanced.

Willem van Waesberghe, one of Heineken's brewmasters, explains how the beer is crisp and refreshing, but with the slight bitterness that many of us love in beers A perfect balance between them.

This means two things. First and foremost, it’s a beer that’s perfect for any occasion. Whether it's the first drink of the evening or a pint to end the day, it'll be equally satisfying.

Whether it's Heineken Original, the slightly less bitter Heineken Silver or the non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0, you can guarantee that your day will go from “ah” to “ah” when you take your first sip “.

Secondly, it’s the perfect beer to pair with food. To prove this, Heineken has teamed up with acclaimed chef Lee Tiernan of London's FKA Black Ax Mangal to highlight how its balanced flavors create the perfect pairing for today's modern dining.

From smoked cod roe and Pringles to numbing mushroom mapo tofu, fish sauce braised lamb shoulder to butterscotch sauce fried apple pie, Tiernan's 'End of Shift Feed' shows that cold Heineken really does go with food The perfect beer.

The meal was inspired by the food he and his staff like to eat with beer after long shifts at the restaurant, and he said the menu was “fun to put together.”

“I'm not a big wine person and when they (Heineken) came up with this off-duty vibe I knew it straight away so I jumped at the chance,” he said.

Explaining the inspiration behind the dishes, he continued: “I chose dishes that I knew would go well with beer. At the end of your shift, you've been on your feet all day, focused, hot, tired, Need to reduce stress.

“I love pairing it with a delicious snack, preferably something fatty, spicy, salty, and a beer. It's that simple for me and I know I can put it together without having to pretend.”

For Tiernan, there’s no more perfect food pairing than Heineken.

“Heineken, for me, it's like a constant companion, it's always just right,” Tiernan said. “It goes well with a lot of the food I make.”

One of the highlights on the menu is the mapo tofu, and Tiernan agrees, calling it one of his favorites.

“Ma Po Tofu and cold beer are perfect for me, so perfect,” he said. “Spice, numbness, just the right amount.

“Then you add fatted lamb, which eliminates all of that, and then the beer eliminates that. I'm not a big wine drinker, so I feel like I'm qualified to contribute to an event like this and have a great appreciation for what I've done Things are full of confidence.”

But if you don’t have the best ingredients and a restaurant kitchen on hand, don’t worry—there’s still plenty to pair with a cold bottle of Heineken.

Tiernan suggests pizza, Chinese and Indian food for takeout, which pairs well with beer.

“We had some mayonnaise chips and beer the other day and it was great,” he recalls. “Again, it’s all about salty, fatty, spicy — those are the three key factors that jump out at me. Like pepperoni pizza, it’s fat, spicy, and a little greasy, and the beer cuts that off. Everything is diluted.”

So whether it’s fine dining, home cooking or takeaway, Heineken is the perfect companion for your gastronomic experience.

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