Pairings

What beer goes with steak

Steak is fat, salt, and a browned crust. The pairing has to echo that crust or cut the fat. A thin, very pale lager disappears. A beer with some malt colour, or a straight bitter finish, does not.

The crust is a Maillard flavour: toast, caramel, a little bitterness from the char. Roasted malt and caramel malt live in the same family. Carbonation and hop bitterness then clear the fat so the next slice still tastes of beef rather than of grease. You do not need a high ABV. A 4 to 6% beer with the right flavour does more than a sip of something huge.

Beer styles that work

Porter or a dry stout
Roast barley and chocolate malt line up with a charred crust and pepper. A dry stout, not a sweet milk stout, keeps the finish savoury. It is the beer for a ribeye or a well-seared sirloin. If the stout is very thick, it can coat the meat. Look for something that still has a bit of fizz.
Amber ale or best bitter
Caramel and biscuit malt suit a steak with butter, chips or a peppercorn sauce. The bitterness is there to cut fat, not to taste like grapefruit. An English bitter or a malty amber is a better weeknight match than a loud IPA, which can make the beef taste metallic.
Brown ale
Nutty, low on carbonation, gentle bitterness. It works when the steak is served simply, with mushrooms or onions, and you do not want the drink to take over. Lower fizz means it will not scrub the palate as hard, so serve it cool rather than icy.

If you are not drinking beer

A cocktail

Whisky and soda

A short measure of whisky over ice, topped with cold soda. Oak, caramel and a little smoke echo the sear, and the soda stops it sitting heavy on the fat. No need for a sweet mixer. Lemon peel is enough.

Without alcohol

Sparkling blackcurrant

Blackcurrant cordial in cold sparkling water. The fruit acid and tannin cut fat in a similar way to a sharp beer, without adding more richness. Plain sparkling water with lemon works if the steak is already heavily sauced. Cola is too sweet and makes the meat taste flat.

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