Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy

Aged Comté's complex nutty, fruity, and slightly sweet flavors demand beverages with complementary depth. White wines with some richness and oxidative qualities work exceptionally well, while beers with caramel notes and complexity can highlight the cheese's crystalline texture and savory depth.

Aged Gouda's complex nutty, caramel-like sweetness with underlying salt crystals requires beverages that can match its intensity while complementing its richness. The concentrated fruit and subtle sweetness in bold red wines or fortified wines enhance the cheese's caramelized notes, while robust, malty beers with their own caramel undertones create harmonious flavor bridges.

Beef bourguignon is a classic French stew featuring beef braised in red wine with mushrooms, onions, carrots, and bacon, creating deep, complex flavors. The rich umami notes and tender texture of this dish call for wines with good acidity and structure to cut through the richness, while complementary earthy notes enhance the mushroom and beef components.

Beef daube is a classic Provençal beef stew braised with red wine, aromatics, and herbs, resulting in tender meat and a deeply flavored, rich sauce. The long, slow cooking process creates complex, savory flavors that pair beautifully with full-bodied red wines that can match the dish's intensity, while beer pairings with malty sweetness and complementary dark fruit notes enhance the stew's depth.

Beef short ribs are typically slow-cooked to tender perfection, delivering rich, beefy flavors with substantial fat content and often featuring caramelized exterior notes. The intense umami character and substantial texture of this dish pairs beautifully with full-bodied red wines that have sufficient tannin structure to cut through the fat, while dark, malty beers complement the caramelized flavors and provide enough body to stand up to this hearty dish.

Beef stew features slow-cooked tender meat in a rich, savory gravy with root vegetables, creating deep umami flavors and a hearty texture. The dish's robust profile requires beverages with sufficient body and complexity to stand up to the concentrated flavors while offering complementary notes that enhance the stew's depth.

Beef tenderloin, with its tender texture and rich, buttery flavor profile, pairs wonderfully with full-bodied red wines that have firm tannins to cut through the meat's richness. The dish's luxurious mouthfeel also works beautifully with malty beers that offer caramel notes to complement the meat's natural sweetness while providing enough body to stand up to this substantial protein.

Caramel desserts feature rich, sweet flavors with notes of toffee, burnt sugar, and vanilla that pair beautifully with dessert wines that offer complementary sweetness and complexity. The deep caramelized notes also harmonize wonderfully with malt-forward beers that showcase similar caramel, toffee, and roasted flavors.

Cassoulet is a hearty, slow-cooked French casserole containing meat (typically duck confit, pork sausages, and sometimes mutton), white beans, and aromatics. Its rich, savory flavors and substantial body call for beverages with equal weight and complexity that can stand up to the dish's fatty components while complementing its earthy, herb-infused profile.

Moussaka is a hearty Greek casserole featuring layers of eggplant, spiced ground lamb, and a creamy béchamel sauce on top. The rich, savory flavors with notes of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in the meat layer paired with the creamy béchamel call for wines with good structure and beers with sufficient malt character to complement without overwhelming.

Grilled lamb chops offer a rich, slightly gamey flavor with smoky char notes that call for wines with sufficient tannin structure and concentrated fruit profiles. The caramelized exterior and savory fat of the lamb pairs beautifully with red wines that have earthy undertones and robust structure, while medium to full-bodied beers with caramel and toasted malt notes complement the meat's richness.

Hearty stews typically feature deep, concentrated flavors developed through long, slow cooking processes that create rich umami notes and tender textures. The recommended pairings offer substantial body and structure to stand up to the stew's intensity, while providing complementary flavors that enhance rather than overwhelm the dish's complex profile.

A rich, malty Scottish ale with deep ruby color and complex caramel, toffee, and dried fruit flavors. Features a smooth, velvety mouthfeel with a warming alcohol presence and subtle peaty undertones characteristic of traditional Scotch ales.