Best Beer Pairings For Curry: Spicy, Sweet, And Bitter

When it comes to choosing a beer to drink with curry, there are several factors to consider. The right beer can complement and enhance the flavours of the curry, creating a delightful sensory experience. Beer is often favoured over wine for spicy dishes as the bubbles refresh the palate, and the alcohol content is lower, preventing the flames of the chilli from being fanned. However, a beer that is too gassy may ruin the experience. So, what are some of the best beers to pair with curry?

Cobra Beer with Chicken Korma

The British love affair with curry goes back over 200 years, with the first curry house opening in London at the start of the 19th century. Cobra Beer was founded in 1989 by Lord Karan Bilimoria, who noticed that the local lager was too gassy to enjoy with food. Cobra is a smooth, less gassy beer that appeals to both ale and lager drinkers. Its gentle fizz and slight sweetness make it the perfect pairing for a chicken korma.

Chicken korma is a mild, creamy curry often made with coconut, cashew nuts, and cream. The rich texture and mild taste of the korma are complemented by the crisp, refreshing taste of Cobra Beer. The beer's subtle sweetness enhances the sweetness of the korma, while its light carbonation cuts through the rich, creamy sauce.

Cobra Beer is a staple in many UK curry houses and is known for its unique blend of maize, rice, and a little less gas, resulting in an impossibly smooth and gassy-free drinking experience. Its flavour is not too overpowering, allowing the complex flavours of the korma to shine through.

When pairing Cobra Beer with a chicken korma, you'll find that the beer's crispness and slight bitterness provide a refreshing contrast to the creamy, nutty, and mildly sweet flavours of the curry. The carbonation also helps to cleanse the palate, making each bite of the korma feel like the first.

Whether you're a fan of lager or ale, Cobra Beer is an excellent choice to accompany a chicken korma. Its smooth, gentle fizz, and subtle sweetness elevate the flavours of the curry, creating a delightful sensory experience for food lovers.

Blue Moon with Rogan Josh

Blue Moon is a flavourful pale ale with a smooth finish that is commonly served with a slice of fresh orange to bring out the Valencia orange peel used in the brewing process. This makes it the perfect beer to have with a curry.

Rogan Josh is a flavourful curry with a strong tomato base and a variety of spices, including dried chillies, which give it a spicy kick. The intense flavour of a Rogan Josh curry is an excellent match for the citrusy notes of Blue Moon beer, creating a whole new dimension of flavour when the two are paired together.

The spice from the chillies in the Rogan Josh is tempered by the refreshing taste of Blue Moon, making it a great choice to cool down your palate. The orange notes in the beer also complement the strong tomato base of the curry, adding a unique twist to the classic dish.

The combination of Blue Moon and Rogan Josh is a sensory experience that food lovers should try. The contrast between the hot spice of the curry and the crisp, refreshing taste of the beer is a delightful pairing that enhances the flavours of both.

If you're looking for a drink to pair with your Rogan Josh, look no further than Blue Moon beer. The citrusy and refreshing taste of Blue Moon is the perfect complement to the spicy and intense flavours of Rogan Josh curry.

Thornbridge Jaipur with Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is a staple of Indian menus, and though it's not technically a curry, it deserves a place on the list of best beers to drink with curry. Originating in Punjab, Tandoori chicken gets its name from the clay oven traditionally used in its preparation. It's smoky with plenty of flavours, and Thornbridge Jaipur is a great pairing.

Thornbridge Jaipur is a multi-award-winning India Pale Ale that is soft and smooth. Its intense citrus flavours will lift the meat. It is a fantastically well-balanced beer that is dangerously drinkable. The golden pale ale is lightly carbonated with an aroma of lemon, ideal with a curry that is bursting with flavour. It has a mild bitterness throughout, and its smooth finish makes it unique.

Jaipur IPA is best paired with curries such as chicken tikka masala, achari chicken, and chicken jalfrezi. The powerful malty taste with hints of citrus complements the spicy, rich sauce of these curries. The flavours of the beer and the curry perfectly mirror each other, making for a delicious meal.

Tandoori chicken and Thornbridge Jaipur are a perfect match. The intense citrus flavours of the beer will complement the smokiness of the tandoori chicken, and the soft and smooth texture of the beer will balance out the strong flavours of the dish. The mild bitterness of the beer will also help to cut through the richness of the chicken.

Overall, Thornbridge Jaipur is a great choice for those looking for a well-balanced, flavourful, and dangerously drinkable beer to pair with their tandoori chicken.

Kingfisher with Tikka Masala

Kingfisher is India's most popular beer and has been one of its most profitable exports since the 1970s. Its fresh, clean taste makes it the perfect partner for any curry.

For the perfect curry to go with a Kingfisher, opt for a tikka masala. As India's most popular beer, it should be paired with the country's most popular curry. From a flavour perspective, Kingfisher has a slight bitterness that complements the smokiness of a tikka masala. The medium spice of the curry provides some heat against the refreshing taste of the beer.

Tikka masala is a dish of protein—usually chicken, but also sometimes paneer, shrimp, or fish—marinated in spiced yoghurt and roasted in a tandoor, then served in a creamy and spicy onion tomato sauce. It is delicious when served with rice or bread to soak up the gravy.

To make a fish tikka masala, first, the fish is marinated in lemon juice to tenderise the meat, then in yoghurt and spices for added flavour. The masala is a tomato cream gravy in which the fish simmers and becomes juicy and flaky. The sauce is not super creamy and is filled with flavour without being overpowered by heat. Salmon is a good choice of fish, as it holds up well in the simmering sauce, but tilapia or cod can also be used.

Curious IPA with Beef Madras

When it comes to pairing beer with curry, it's all about finding the right balance between the rich, spicy flavours of the dish and the cool, crisp taste of the beverage. The intense, spicy heat of a Beef Madras calls for a beer that can stand up to its bold flavours, and that's where Curious IPA comes in.

Curious IPA is a beverage that brings strong flavours to the table, making it the ideal partner for a Beef Madras. The deep red curry is packed with spices and heat, and the intense flavours of the IPA complement it perfectly. The IPA is powerfully hoppy, brewed with the finest pale ale malt and three complementary hops, creating a harmonious balance of great power and drinkability.

The citrus notes in the IPA are particularly well-suited to cooling down the heat of the Beef Madras. The fruity taste of the pale ale adds a refreshing dimension to the pairing, enhancing the overall sensory experience. The combination of the spicy curry and the crisp, citrusy beer is a classic match that many people love.

In addition to the flavour profile, the carbonation of the beer is also an important consideration. A beer that is too gassy can overwhelm the delicate flavours of the curry. Curious IPA has a smooth finish, ensuring that it doesn't overpower the dish and allows the complex flavours of both the food and drink to shine through.

For those seeking a unique and flavourful pairing, Curious IPA with Beef Madras is a combination that delivers a delightful interplay of aromas and tastes. The boldness of the IPA enhances the spicy notes of the curry, creating a memorable culinary experience. So, if you're looking to impress your friends or simply indulge in a special treat, this pairing is definitely one to try.

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