Pork Beer

Ok, let's see if this can be done! I have only brewed a couple of beers so far (newbie) and would like to brew a beer for the guys at my restaurant. Our restaurant Italian and centers around pig. I am thinking of something that will slap you back, but you just can't get enough of, sort of like my crew in the kitchen! I am thinking of probably an IPA since it is a strong beer of sorts or maybe a hoppy pilsner since it goes great with pig. Let me know what your thoughts are and if this is something feasible. I had a pork fat infused drink at a place called Iberian Pig in Atlanta and it caught my taste buds. Help me have fun

There was a recipe recently in BYO that was a bacon beer... I remember something about how that had to specially prepare the bacon so that the fat was removed as much as possible. I think they baked it instead of frying it. It sounds interesting so I may try it sometime... but I can think of nothing worse than opening a beer and having it smell like rancid fat.

Try a rauchbier. There is rauch extract, but it is hard to find.

Kudos to you and woot to your idea. Unfortunately the main compound in pork that makes it taste so undeniably scrumdiddlyumptious is the same thing that is hard to recreate in a beer.

FAT and SALT

Generally speaking, pork much like duck is so ultra luxurious because of it's fat content. Since we really can't feasibly add fat to beer you'll probably have to consider the alternatives as well as pairings to oh so glorious pig.

It's kinda like someone wanting to pair beer with chicken. If you have some smoked (true bbq) chicken that's savory and rich with a full smoke flavor you'd want something to counteract the strongest flavor...so a robust porter or stout might pair well. But if you're pairing let's say a chicken parmigiana then you'd have to counteract the acidity of the tomato sauce and richness of the cheese with a malty brown ale.

If you tried to pair a beer with let's say poached salmon, then you'd opt for something with a lighter body and perhaps more herbal or estery profile to compliment the lightness but richer texture of an omega-3 fish. So perhaps then a wheat beer or Belgian Tripel.

So then it begs the question, what kind of porky goodness am I going to be schnackin on today? Is it going to be roast pork loin which is relatively mild? Will it be bbq pork ribs which are robustly savory, sweet, and smokey? Crispy crunchy fatty drippy bacon? Or would it be italian pork sausages with their sweet fennel and juicy goodness? You're going to have decide or find a mid-point to satisfy your needs.

I highly recommend not adding pork fat to your beer. I would be one of the first to admit that yes, LARD is a wonderful magical substance that should be more highly valued than butter or gold....however as noted previously, rancid fat is bad fat. (try making a butter beer!) If anything, you most likely do not want your beer to resemble the swine on the plate in any way at all. You're truly looking for a compliment to the food, not something that will mask, muddle, or compete with it.

So keep it in mind because hoppy pilsners do go great with smoked ribs, so do stouts,...but do they go well with pork roast? A porchetta? Salami? a bacon-wrapped tenderloin? What about taglietelle with pancetta and peas in a butter sauce? Maybe a pizza with sweet and spicy italian sausage?

I use to live in Rome and most of the beer selection was limited to poor mass-produced lagers along with odds and ends. A very popular local restaurant in Seattle does very well with a medium-bodied american amber ale fermented low with an irish ale yeast strain to keep esters in check.