Peanuts and Beer Pairings
Who doesn’t enjoy peanuts and beer, especially when they are paired together for the perfect flavor combination. Here is a quick guide for pairing Hope & Harmony Farms gourmet Virginia peanuts with your favorite style beer.
Why Peanuts and Beer?
It’s a common belief that a bowl full of peanuts at a bar is nothing but a ploy to get guest to drink more. While this may be true, what many people don’t realize is that nuts make beer taste better. Hops are added to beer to help balance the sweetness of malt, however it is quite bitter in flavor which sometimes makes it unpleasant to drink. Good thing peanuts have something to counter with, Sodium chloride, also known as common table salt. The salt content in nuts helps counteract the bitterness of beer, making beer less bitter and easier to drink.
Peanuts not only help with bitterness, but they also aid in keeping that dry mouth feeling under control. Tannic acid is a by-product of the brewing process and another active ingredient in beer that the human mouth has trouble with. Tannins in beer dry the mouth by binding the lubricating proteins in saliva, creating that awful dry mouth sensation. Nuts, however, help combat the dreaded dry mouth. Nuts are full of healthy fats, which naturally re-lubricate the mouth and allow you to fully enjoy your beer without feeling dehydrated.
So now that we know what peanuts do for us when drinking beer, let’s see which style beers go with Hope & Harmony Farms delicious seasoned peanuts.
Pairings
Indian Pale Ale (IPA)- Generally, they are on the hoppy side with a high bitterness and notes of citrus. This would pair well with salty or spicy foods. We recommend trying them with our salted peanuts or sea salt & cracked black pepper peanuts to help cut through the bitterness. If you like tangy, then we recommend trying our lime peanuts or sriracha lime peanuts to bring out that citrus flavor.
Pale Ale- They vary from place to place however they commonly have a nice balance of hops and malts. They may have floral and fruity notes with a bitterness that makes them a great pairing for a wide variety of food. So, we recommend trying these with our sriracha peanuts to taste floral and fruity notes or our Cajun & Crunchy Cheddar snack mix where those hard cheese flavors are really brought out.
Stout- Full-bodied and high in alcohol, they have a roasted flavor with coffee and chocolate notes. Stouts pair excellent with any peanut however, we recommend our decadent chocolate covered peanuts.
Porter-Can be either Smokey or hoppy, they are generally great with smoked foods. We recommend our cajun peanuts for a Smokey porter or our NEW salt & vinegar peanuts with a hoppy porter.
Pilsner- Hoppy with floral or spicy aromas. Pilsners are perfect for foods that aren’t too rich. Pilsners go great with spice and are a perfect pairing for our southern heat/ habanero peanuts. Lighter beers emphasize that oomph of the habanero seasoning. Pilsners also pair great with our NEW dill pickle peanuts which bring out those tangy floral aromas.
Hefeweizen- Incredibly refreshing with hints of wheat and clove. We recommend our virginia crabber peanuts which will bring out the zest of the clove or our redskin peanuts which will help release the prominent wheat flavor. They also go great with freshly roasted In-shell Virginia peanuts.
Peanuts are the yin to beer’s yang. Pairing them together strikes the right balance of flavors, textures and tasting notes for the ultimate in food experiences. Find the right beer to pair with your favorite beer to pair with Hope & Harmony Farms Virginia peanuts, we promise there is much more to it then just trying to get bar sales, you will experience the illumination of flavors and notes that make food so enjoyable. Cheers! Happy Eating!