INDULGE

SPIRITS

Brew
Ah! Ah!
From stouts to lagers, beer is the new wine. Ale Sharpton, a 15-year beer enthusiast, breaks down the industrys best bottles.
BY DEENA CAMPBELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY TERU ONISHI

Hoegaarden Refreshing taste. Considered one of the original wheat beers. Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Potent, but delicious! Negra Modelo This Mexican beer is very good when paired with spicy foods. Brooklyn Local 1 Sweet with a complex taste. ChimayGrandeRserve A famous Belgian dark ale thats very well done. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Very fragrant, more concentrated in hops, but very well balanced with sweet. Victory Golden Monkey An American beer thats on the sweet side.

A Perfect Match
When it comes to food pairings, Ale Sharpton tells us to implement the three Cs: complement, contrast, and cleanse (the palate with a crisp pilsner). Try not to overwhelm the palate by having an extreme beer like an Imperial IPA that is highly bitter with a light dish, he says. It would be better paired with spicy Thai food or something similar. Salads complement lighter beers like wheat, golden, blonde, and Klsch styles.

Top row, from left: Victory Golden Monkey, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Unibroue La Fin du Monde, Delirium Tremens, Hoegaarden. Middle: Chimay Grande Rserve, Dogsh Head 60 Minute IPA, Negra Modelo Bottom: Stella Artois, Allagash White, Brooklyn Local 1.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Chicken and seafood: Bells Oberon Ale, Allagash White, or Hitachino Nest White. Barbeque, curry or spicy meals: Ommegang Abbey Dubbel and Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale). Mussels: Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, Hoegaarden, Victory Golden Monkey, La Fin Du Monde or Hitachino Nest White. Brie cheeses: Unibroue Blanche De Chambly or Lindemans Frambroise. Chocolate desserts: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout or a Frambroise avored with raspberries for a bit of fruity tartness.