Beer at the Chinese Table: Hot Pot, Skewers and Dumplings

Chinese lager was born for food. It is light, crisp and low in bitterness, made to refresh the palate between bites rather than to be tasted on its own. Here is how to match every style with the right dish.

Light lager: the everyday partner

The classic Chinese lager goes with almost everything on the table, but it shines with three kinds of food:

• **Spicy food.** With hot pot, mapo tofu and Sichuan or Hunan dishes, a cold, light lager cools the fire between fiery bites. Avoid strong, bitter beers here: bitterness makes chilli feel hotter.
• **Grilled food.** Lamb skewers with cumin and chilli, grilled squid, roasted corn: the street barbecue's perfect match.
• **Fried and steamed snacks.** Dumplings, spring rolls, fried chicken, salt-and-pepper squid.

Seafood: the Qingdao way

In Qingdao, the classic summer combination is beer with clams (蛤蜊, gélì), stir-fried with chilli and garlic. Light lager also works well with steamed shrimp, crab and grilled fish.

Dark lager: roasts and braises

Many Chinese breweries also make a dark lager. Its caramel and toasted malt notes echo the sweet glaze of roast duck, char siu pork and red-braised pork belly.

Craft beer: bolder pairings

• **IPA** with Sichuan and Hunan dishes: hops and bitterness can stand up to bold spice if you like intensity.
• **Wheat beer** with steamed fish, light Cantonese dishes and dim sum.
• **Stout** with braised beef, soy-glazed ribs or desserts with red bean.
• **Tea and osmanthus beers** with delicate dishes, steamed fish and fresh vegetables.

With European food

Try a Chinese lager where you would use any crisp lager: pizza, fried food, fish and chips, grilled sausages, tapas. It also works surprisingly well with spicy dishes from other cuisines, from Indian curries to Mexican tacos.

A simple rule

Light beer for spice and heat, darker beer for sweet and roasted flavours, and always cold enough to refresh, but not so cold that you taste nothing.

In one sentence

Light lager for spice and skewers, clams for Qingdao nights, dark lager for roasts, IPA for bold flavours.