Eat in

That’s good news if you already know how to pair food and wine. If you don’t, start with this simple rule: Don’t overwhelm the food or the beer. For example, if you’re serving a heavy dish (like pot roast), you shouldn’t serve a lightweight beer (like a pilsner)—it won’t stand up to the robust meal. On the other hand, you wouldn’t want to serve a rich porter with a summer salad—the salad would be overpowered. Try to find a beer that brings out the flavors in the meal but doesn’t bury them.

“I, for one, like complex, roasty beers paired with strong-flavored foods,” says Tony Wilson, general manager of the Green Leafe Café in Williamsburg. For example, he notes that Legend Brown Ale pairs particularly well with beef or lamb, “because it has a nice malty flavor and it is well-balanced. It complements the food without overpowering it.”

Food with delicate flavors, like seafood, can be more challenging. “But it can be done,” says Cathal Armstrong, chef of Alexandria’s Restaurant Eve. “As a general rule, with fish I look for a beer that has a crisp finish with a little bit of acidity,” Armstrong says, “like a hefeweisen.” Armstrong also notes that regional beers often pair well with regional foods. For example, “Beer and cheese can be a wonderful combination. Look for beers from the region the cheese is made.” And, adds Armstrong, don’t forget the one thing that may go best of all with a before-dinner beer: Virginia peanuts. “They have a natural affinity with beer.”

FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH BEER

Serve with a pilsner.

6 large yellow onions, sliced very finely

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cups beef broth

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups lager-style beer

herb sachet: Tie into a bit of cheese cloth 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs thyme, 2 sprigs marjoram, 1 small sprig rosemary.

Melt butter, add olive oil and sauté the onions until golden brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook on low heat for 5 to 6 minutes. The onions should be cooked at a fairly low temperature so they will not burn—this may take 20-30 minutes. Next, add the warm beef and chicken broth and the beer. Simmer with the herb sachet for about 20-30 minutes, and season well with salt and pepper.

For the croutons:

Use sliced French bread (or your favorite bread) and, for each bowl of soup, cut a crouton from the bread with a circle cutter. Toast the bread and rub with a smashed clove of garlic, then top with one slice of Gruyere cheese and 1 teaspoon of grated Parmesan. Pour soup into oven-proof bowls, and place a crouton on top of each soup. Brown nicely under the broiler.