Red Racer Beer Pairings at Local on 8th

When you think of food pairings, the first thing that comes to mind is what type of wine you would like to drink with the meal. However, recently there’s been a growing trend in the food industry that’s making waves. We’re talking about food and beer pairings. It’s not necessarily a new concept, when you go to the pub you’re eating pub food and drinking a beer, but it could be any beer and whatever food craving at the moment. More recently beer enthusiasts are bringing the pairings to a different level and recently I was able to attend an event that featured Red Racer Beer, a local Canadian beer pairing with specially selected dishes at Local on 8th.

Before we got started we were educated on the different types of beers they were serving that evening and how each of the beers were selected to pair with the certain types of dishes. Lighter dishes were served with more balanced – well rounded beers, whereas spicier foods were chosen to accompany the bolder stronger beers. This seems pretty straight forward, however listening to the representatives from Central City (Canadian brewery out of Surrey BC and the maker of Red Racer beers) talk about how each was chosen, you definitely get the sense that it is an art form in itself and without understanding the background of each beer, you might not get the pairing outcome that you anticipated.

When it came time to order, I immediately knew I wanted to have the Baja Fish Tacos, one of my favorite fish tacos in the city. It was specially paired with the Red Racer beer. The sweetness of the Hopping Mad Cider Radler was a nice compliment to the beer and the spiciness of the tacos. The apple and grapefruit flavours from the beer was perfectly paired to the cabbage slaw and the beer battered goodness of the fish adding that extra kick, it was definitely a great combination.

The hubby ordered the Local Burger made with spicy hot sauce, topped with jalapenos, both cheddar and jack cheeses was paired with the Super Stellar IPA. The IPA is hop forward beer with intense citrus notes which stands up well to the big bold flavours of the jalapenos in the spicy burger. The carbonation of the beer provides a palate cleanser after each bite, refreshing the senses before the next mouthful. The hubby enjoyed the pairing of the two, stating that he normally wouldn’t order an IPA otherwise since it can be quite hopping and intense, not something he would choose to sip on. However when paired with the burger, the flavours really melded together well.

To finish off our meal, we had Churros with the Copper Ale. The churros themselves were to die for, fluffy and crunchy all at the same time. Served with a side of hazelnut cocoa for dipping it was perfect the way it is, but sipping the copper ale brought out caramel flavours with a slight malty aftertaste.

We didn’t get to try the Veggie Burger or the Chicken Sandwich with the suggested pairing of the PILS. The Red Racer PILS is a very easy drinking beer, think of a lager with light well rounded flavours. It’s the perfect beer for sipping and will not over power the delicate flavours of vegetarian or chicken dishes. We did get a sample of th
e PILS and I would highly recommend starting the evening off with this beer since the other Red Racer beers would be more robust and overtake the flavours of the PILS.

After the meal and chatting with the reps, I definitely grew to have an appreciation for beer and food pairings. I want to thank the people at both Central City and Local for educating me about the slight nuances of each beer varieties and I can’t wait to try some new beer and food combinations myself!

Local on 8th
310 8th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 264-7808
Website: localon8thave.com