Beyond Beer and Burgers

Industry experts share their favorite food and beer pairings.

March 31, 2017

Spicy chicken sandwich from Avenues Proper. Photo by Steven Vargo.

Some of Utah’s best chefs and brewers sit down with a cold one and discuss their favorite food and beer pairings currently available on their menus.

Oasis Café
Looking for a breakfast/brunch beer pairing? Look to Oasis Café for Squatter’s Nitro Red Ale on tap paired with huevos rancheros. Chef Efren Nicholas combines Spanish rice, southwest vegetables and a housemade salsa verde with eggs cooked to order alongside flour tortillas.

Wasatch Brew Pub
In Park City, brewer Nils Imboden from Wasatch Brew Pub enjoys combining hoppy beers with spicy menu offerings. He suggests starting with the Wasatch UTX, which showcases a different hop every batch, and pairing it with buffalo wings with blue cheese, carrots and celery.

Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House
Avenues Proper head chef Jeffrey Springer points to their Lake Effect Gose and spicy chicken sandwich as a favorite pairing. The German-style sour wheat beer provides contrast to the richness and spice of the housemade chicken sausage patty amped up with signature Sriracha sauce and zucchini pickles.

Black Sheep at Sugar House
Black Sheep chef Mark Daniel Mason’s latest pairing is the Black Sheep Carrot Cake with Epic Brewing’s Big Bad Baptista. “It was born to marry with that carrot cake,” he says of the beer. “It has caramel, vanilla notes, a little coffee, a little whiskey from the casks they use.” The raisins in the cake are soaked in the beer and vanilla while the traditional cream cheese frosting is cut with whipped cream for a lighter presentation. §

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Heather L. King

Heather is a food and beverage writer and anonymous restaurant critic for a variety of publications in Utah. She’s happy to have reported on Utah’s changing food landscape for more than 20 years. When not dining out, you’ll often find her at local farmers markets shopping for fresh produce and meeting local vendors. During the pandemic lockdown, she spent her time perfecting gin cocktails — often using locally produced spirits and garnishes. She shares her love of great food with her husband and two Great Danes. Her passion for traveling is fueled by experiencing the food cultures of other countries and regions. She owns SLCLunches.com, and you’ll find her sharing her favorite dishes @slclunches.