Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter

For many reasons, beer is my favorite thing in the world. I can go from acting gentlemanly and waxing poetic about hops in the nose and the body that carbonation adds to the palate to wreck-shop belligerent singing “Piano Man” in the course of just a few pints. Beer allows me to simultaneously be a man (cause I’m drinkin’ beer damnit!) and a gentleman (cause I’m drinkin’ nice beer damnit!). Not only does it taste great and get you drunk, beer makes food taste better.

Wine is largely considered to be the preferred table drink (wine and dine, wine and cheese, the wine list), but beer holds just as much of a place on the white tablecloth as does that old grape juice. The carbonation unlocks flavors that lay dormant in some wines and while some spit out the wine they taste, beer has bitter flavors that are only unlocked when you swallow and the brew washes over your bitter taste receptors at the back of your tongue. Some restaurants have even instituted a Beer Sommelier like Café D’Alsace on the Upper East Side of New York City.

I went to eat barbecue the other day and with my Kansas City Spareribs and Brisket Burnt Ends I had a Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter. Besides pizza, burgers, hot dogs, wings, and any other staple of a man diet, beer and barbecue were meant for each other. Captain Lawrence Brewing Company out of Pleasantville, NY uses imported German smoked malts to add a richness and depth to their Smoked Porter. The direct-fired malt kiln also adds to the flavor, much like Blue Point’s infamous Toasted Lager. The Smoked Porter smelled like firewood and ripe fruit. A roasted coffee smokiness and a sweet finish were perfect for the meats depth of flavor and sweet sauce.

Pairing beer and food goes much further beyond man-food and Bud Light. Try a Corona, Dos Equis or Negro Modelo with lime with a spicy Mexican shrimp and snapper ceviche. Drink a Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale or a Sam Adams Winter Lager with your Thanksgiving dinner. Pop open a Woodchuck Cider with your Apple Tart for dessert. The possibilities, like the flavors, are endless.