Pencil and Spoon

The only Chilli beer I've ever liked has been ...

2012-05-17T12:37:49.402+01:00

The only Chilli beer I've ever liked has been Mikkeler Texas Ranger. All the others I've tried without exception have been undrinkable.

Mark, good call! How about next Friday?

2012-05-17T11:40:51.115+01:00

Mark, good call! How about next Friday?

I do, but I'm still going to tease you that yo...

2012-05-17T08:37:00.334+01:00

I do, but I'm still going to tease you that you can't perceive 90IBUs though - MWAH, HA, HA!!! Enjoy Leeds, at least you won't have to put up with me!! :)

"I think IBUs are a very false measure in ter...

2012-05-16T13:29:13.405+01:00

"I think IBUs are a very false measure in terms of actual palate perception; it all depends on the balance of the beer."

I don't think they're a VERY false measure, but I do agree with what you're saying. It's IBUs in the context of malt sweetness and everything else going on within the beer that's important.

Maybe I should've said "Drinking [a percieved] 90 IBUs on top of a vindaloo" ... :P. You know what I mean.

Hah - my fiancé doesn't!!

2012-05-16T13:23:19.722+01:00

Hah - my fiancé doesn't!!

One of my favourite combos - a nice fruity IPA and...

2012-05-16T13:14:43.775+01:00

One of my favourite combos - a nice fruity IPA and chili cheese.
Innovation + Extra Hot Mexicana

I think IBUs are a very false measure in terms of ...

2012-05-16T13:06:11.317+01:00

I think IBUs are a very false measure in terms of actual palate perception; it all depends on the balance of the beer.

For example, Stone IPA is a big beer, it has a lot of hop character, but it's also underpinned by a decent base of caramel from the malt. However, a massive West Coast IPA like Sculpin would indeed fight with something hot, you would get hop burn on top of chilli heat.

As for English IPAs, I think it can go with spicy food well but you need to look to a more 'true to style' type like Meantime, again for that balance in character, the hop bomb New World homages are often very predicated on a thinner body from the malt, relying on carbonation and alcohol level to provide mouth feel, and then aggressively showcasing the hops.

I really do think that it's all about balancing your beer and your food wisely, which I will admit can be a damn tricky act to get right!

Peter - I'm with you on using hoppy food with ...

2012-05-16T13:04:59.976+01:00

Peter - I'm with you on using hoppy food with less ferocious dishes. They can add a great aroma or body which can work very well. I guess it's the distinction between flavour and heat.

Tim - I love that analogy!

2012-05-16T13:02:17.384+01:00

Tim - I love that analogy!

I'm a chilli head and hop head. I treat them l...

2012-05-16T12:57:37.287+01:00

I'm a chilli head and hop head. I treat them like a man would treat his wife and mistress - amazing on their own but never should they both meet!

With a curry I'm quite happy with a pint of very cold Kingfisher - lager is reserved for curries and kebabs for me! I'd probably still do the same if I ate a milder curry to cleanse the pallet. Then finish the meal off with a nice double IPA.

Good to see the fightback for my side! All you pe...

2012-05-16T12:54:07.278+01:00

Good to see the fightback for my side!

All you people who like big hops and big chilli heat are nuts! I've never enjoyed it. Maybe my tongue is just too delicate.

alan - That's interesting... Sweetness works as it cools things down. That's why a wheat beer or milk stout can work well.

Adam - That sounds like using sandpaper on a nasty cut!

T_i_B - Nah, I hate chilli beers! Why would you want to drink something hot?! Saying that, I have had some very good beers with chilli in but they give fruitiness instead of heat or just a tickle of warmth.

High five Nate and Mark! We should go for a blisteringly hot curry and take our wheat beers with us while all those other suckers drink their silly IPAs!

Mark makes a very good point that I'd like to ...

2012-05-16T12:53:05.312+01:00

Mark makes a very good point that I'd like to expand upon.

Fierce chilli heat does stop you tasting food clearly I believe, so taking that to its conclusion I can't see a point having a tasty pint with a ferocious curry. I'd much rather have a crisp, clean (boring) larger so help lubricate it.

On the otherhand, when having a nicely balanced dish (where the heat doesn't overpower the spices or other ingredients) then a heavily hopped beer can bring something to the party, nicely complementing the curry/chilli/whatever .

But as everyone has different tastes and can take different levels of heat, the point at which a hoppy beer may become unpleasant will differ.

From my point of view:
A jungle curry from a little place down Bournemouth way required(!) a very cold Asahi.
But a home made vindaloo with 3-5 chillies (for 2) went really well with a BBF Southville hop

So I guess it might not be a good idea to mention ...

2012-05-16T12:49:51.274+01:00

So I guess it might not be a good idea to mention beer made with Chilli in at this point....

100% agree with you. Drinking 90 IBUs on top of a ...

2012-05-16T11:06:11.157+01:00

100% agree with you. Drinking 90 IBUs on top of a vindaloo is like rubbing salt into an open wound.

For me, heat strips away your ability to taste flavours clearly. The hotter something is, the close your pint gets to tasting like bitter soda water.

I'm not into the heat vs bitterness battle. G...

2012-05-16T10:27:12.408+01:00

I'm not into the heat vs bitterness battle.

Give me a nice, cold Wheat Beer any day.

Nate
http://www.twitter.com/NateDawg27
http://www.boozebeatsbites.com

Yes! Love the fight between the bitterness and the...

2012-05-15T23:52:54.128+01:00

Yes! Love the fight between the bitterness and the heat.

very disapointed to see rik mayal in such an embar...

2012-05-15T21:53:43.666+01:00

very disapointed to see rik mayal in such an embaressing roll

I like hoppy beers with Indian and Thai foods but ...

2012-05-15T16:15:18.135+01:00

I like hoppy beers with Indian and Thai foods but not REALLY hoppy beers as that's just flavour overload, something like a Punk IPA or Sierra Nevada Pale Ale works really well for me. However with Mexican food, it's got to be served with a really well made Margarita!

I am a fan of spicy foods with hoppy beers, more s...

2012-05-15T15:45:39.720+01:00

I am a fan of spicy foods with hoppy beers, more so because the hoppy beers are often much more dry than their malty kin (in these parts). A really dry amber lager with spicy foods is awesome when good examples are available.

Another fan of spicy foods and hoppy ales here, th...

2012-05-15T15:16:15.286+01:00

Another fan of spicy foods and hoppy ales here, though I am a big fan of spicy foods to begin with anyway. I've had great experiences with a few combinations but one of my favourites has to be a hot Thai Red Curry and a good hoppy pale ale.

Got another vote for the hot and hoppy combination...

2012-05-15T14:43:34.392+01:00

Got another vote for the hot and hoppy combination. Not all the time of course but every so often it just fits (and get the endorphins running).

I read somewhere once that the compounds which giv...

2012-05-15T11:43:09.894+01:00

I read somewhere once that the compounds which give chillis their heat are not water soluble but they are soluble in fat and in alcohol. This is why hot dishes are often served with yoghurt dips or sour cream or guacamole, the fat helps to clear you tongue of the hot stuff. Also an alcoholic drink works much better than a soft drink. It would follow that beers with a higher ABV would work better at cleansing the palate. Is it because beers with higher ABV also tend to be hoppier the reason they are matched with hot food?

Steve - The fruity boost is good, I concede that, ...

2012-05-15T09:41:47.369+01:00

Steve - The fruity boost is good, I concede that, but only when you can taste it. It's needs hops but not a vicious IBU level.

Andy - You would like them, but then the huge amount of both hops and chilli that you consume probably makes your tolerance level very high!

Thatchers - I've never had that right mood! The only way I find it works is when the body on the beer is full and can soften the battle between the two. Kind of like a pillow fight in the mouth.

Nathan - You are either crazy or I am a wimp. Perhaps both.

Another vote for heat and hops here, I always foll...

2012-05-15T09:14:56.910+01:00

Another vote for heat and hops here, I always follow a hot chilli or curry with an IPA and love the way they interact.

Andy & Steve are right, I think hops and heat ...

2012-05-15T08:59:04.625+01:00

Andy & Steve are right, I think hops and heat have their moment, but you have to be in the right mood. If I'm going for an IPA with spicy food I lean towards more malt (like a Kernel), if I just want to relax and mellow, then it's a wheat beer or a Pilsner for me...

Would LOVE to try unfiltered unpasteurised Pilsner with some chilli or curry