Beer and wine have their own unique qualities, based on
ingredients, how they are made as well as the specific characteristics that
result in the finished product. But they
do have some things in common. I think
they have enough in common that in some cases we can identify beer and wine
counterparts. Why do this? I see at least two reasons:
(1) Many people see beer and wine in exclusive terms, e.g., there are many people categorize themselves
as a beer drinker or a wine drinker
(but not both). I’d argue that it’s time to start viewing beer
and wine inclusively, i.e., beer and
wine don’t necessarily compete with each other but rather complement each
other, e.g., some types of beer and wine share certain similarities, pair well
with the same foods, etc.
(2) People who tend to drink only beer or wine can use this
post as a way of deciding which beer or wine counterpart to try… in essence, a
gateway counterpart.
Based on (1) and (2), for example, I’d like to begin seeing
restaurants hosting special opportunities to have (combined) beer and wine pairing dinners, etc.
A few introductory notes: sometimes I’ll refer to a beer or wine
style. In wine, there is a conventional
distinction between new- and old-world, which refers to the distinction to
Europe (old-world) and everywhere else (new world). Typically new-world wines are more fruity and
less dry than old-world style wines, e.g., Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand
tend to be fruitier than those from France.
Note, however, that there are many exceptions to the new-/old-world
categories, i.e., there are old-world style wines, e.g., less fruity, more dry,
etc., that made in new-world wine regions, e.g., California, etc. It’s also common to categorize wines into styles
based on specific wine regions, e.g., a Syrah from Cotes-du-Rhone, etc. In beer, there are many styles: American,
Belgian, English, German, Irish, Scottish ales; and American, Czech, European,
German and Japanese lagers; as well as styles such as Summer Ales, etc.
Last, I want to point out that—obviously—there are many
differences between beer and wine; not just their ingredients, how they’re made
but also that there are many characteristics that are just unique to each kind
of beverage.
Beer and Wine Characteristics
Appearance & Color
While there are similarities between the appearance and
color of beer and wine and beer and wine drinkers definitely get enjoyment out
of the appearance of a beer or wine, people typically people don’t drink
something only because of appearance. So
I’ll ignore this characteristic.
Aroma & Flavor
There’s a close connection between the senses that detect aroma
and flavor, i.e., the olfactory sense and taste, respectively. Further, although beverages can have some
aroma X, e.g., sweetness, etc., it may not taste like X. Also, I’m only going to discuss characteristics
that have similar counterparts in beer and wine; I’ll be ignoring types of characteristics
that have no counterparts in beer and wine.
For example, sweet citrus
characteristics are (almost exclusively) not found in beer but only wine so
I’ll ignore this type of characteristic.
Examples of aroma and flavor:
Fruitiness: both beer
and wine have fruity characteristics.
And good beer and wine can have fruit in different stages of consumption,
e.g., fruity start, dry or bitter finish.
Some examples of fruity characteristics in beer and wine and their
counterparts:
§ Citrus:
- Beer: Summer style beers, Belgian (white) ales, (and my favorite) Jai Alai IPA (Cigar City)
- Wine: old-world whites, e.g., Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, dry Rieslings, Chilean Torrontes (which also tends to have floral characteristics)
§ Red Fruit:
- Wine: old-world style reds. Common favorite grape varietals include Italian Sangiovese, Spanish Tempranillo & Grenache and French Syrah
- Beer: these are easy to spot, with names like Cherry or Rasberry Lambic (Kreik or Framboise), Strawberry Wheat
All of these wines with citrus and red-fruit that have beer
counterparts tend to be dry; and all of these beer and wine counterparts tend
to have a good amount of acidity.
Savoriness: examples
of savory characteristics in beer and wine and their counterparts:
§ Cocoa:
- Wine: new-world Malbec
- Beer: Stouts and Porters (esp. those with “chocolate” in the name!)
§ Smoky:
- Wine: Spanish Tempranillo
- Beer: Stouts and Porters (esp. those with “smoke” in the name!)
Mouthfeel
Another important way to identify beer and wine counterparts
is by similar mouthfeel. Both beer and
wine contain alcohol, which produces a specific sensation in the mouth (e.g.,
hot, etc.). And if you’re looking for a
low-alcohol beer or wine or a high-alcohol beer or wine, it isn’t difficult to
do: simply look at the alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage on the label. But I’d argue there is another aspect of
mouthfeel found in beer and wine that makes them similar: bitterness in beer
and dryness in wine. In beer, bitterness
is produced by hops; and in wine tannins produce the feeling of dryness and
astringency in the mouth.
It seems plausible that if someone likes hoppy (e.g.,
bitter) beer they might be disposed to like dry wines. Here are some beer and wine style counterparts
by bitterness and dryness:
Less Bitter/Dry
- Beer: Light Lagers
- Wine: White wines and new-world red wines
More Bitter/Dry
- Beer: IPA, Barleywine
- Wine: Old-world red wines, e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Tannat.
