Wash Down Your Ribeye Steak With This Beer For The Best Possible Pairing

Whether it's a cheap or expensive cut of steak, pairing it with a nice beverage typically comes to your personal preference. But while a thick stout gives you a heartier meal and a crisp IPA can cut through even the most marbled slab of meat, pairing a ribeye with an amber lager gives you the most comprehensively enjoyable experience

Lagers, in general, are one of the easiest to drink beers thanks to their cold fermentation temperatures, giving them a soft, but never bland, flavor profile. With such a muted bouquet, it can essentially act as a light seasoning between mouthfuls of steak, particularly because amber varieties have a touch of toasty nuttiness complements the steak's rich marbling. While there are certainly other brews that also pair well with steak fat, the lightness of an amber lager also keeps your meal from being too heavy or one-note. Plus, it's versatile enough to work with a broad variety of recipes, from a simple salt and pepper grilled ribeye to a heavily-marinated one cooked in a butter bath.

The traditional method to cut through steak's fattiness is to use acidity, whether that's from citrus or a particularly light wine. However, the high carbonation of a lager accomplishes the same goal, but through texture rather than taste. This creates a more novel experience, creating a depth of flavor with some out-of-the-box thinking, commonly available drink pairing, and minimal effort.

From a brewing perspective, amber lager is a bit of a broad term stretching from the traditional Vienna varieties with reddish coloring and increased hoppiness to a standard, easy-to-drink bottle from the oldest brewery in the United States, Yuengling. None are necessarily superior to another, but you may find their distinct flavors better complement certain preparations and cuts than others.

Heavily-marbled ribeyes tend to coat your mouth after a few bites, interfering with your ability to experience each bite as fully as the first. This is why palate cleansers are so important and why you may want to lean towards a brew that's heavier on the hops. The slight bitterness of these beers highlights the quality of the steak, but with a strong enough aroma, taste, and mouthfeel to stand on its own. 

Conversely, if you have a leaner ribeye or want to prepare it with less fat, lean towards a lighter hued beverage. Anything too dark may overwhelm your steak, leading it to be a palate cleanser for your beer rather than the other way around. You'll still want it to have some tan coloring, but you may enjoy your meal more the closer to gold your beer is. You can even look into amber versions of lager's German cousin, the Kölsch, for something exceptionally bubbly and bright.