WASHINGTON – If you thought craft beer was just for drinking, John Holl is out to prove you wrong. And his countless hours of research and experience are more than enough to back up his argument.
“There was a lot of recycling that came out of my house by going through all of the different beers — and some pretty groggy mornings,” says Holl, who visited more than 900 breweries around the world while writing his new book, The American Craft Beer Cookbook.
But he says his motive behind the drinking was all for the food.
“We’re living in such a cool age of local beer and local food,” Holl says.
He says his book, which has 155 recipes, tells the story of where the country is on both fronts. It focuses on food traditions specific to regions and recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.
And as for the beer? It’s either in Holl’s recipes, or paired with the food.
“The first thing I did was start looking at a map and I started to think about how different food impacts different regions, and then I started reaching out to breweries that I know and trust,” says Holl, who also asked friends for recipe recommendations.
“When the recipes started coming in, I just started trying new beers (in the recipes).”
Currently, the U.S. is home to about 2,800 breweries, many of which are craft.
“Most of (these breweries) are turning out really flavorful beers and a whole number of styles. So the fun challenge was actually trying different styles with different recipes to really find a pairing that just sang,” Holl says.
When thinking about pairing beer with food, Holl says it’s important to consider the four main ingredients that make up beer: water, malt, hops and yeast.
Depending on the make-up of the beer and the ratios/flavor profiles, you can begin to match the beverage to a food dish and select a beer that will either taste best in a recipe, or alongside it.
Holl says malt typically has hints of fresh bread, coffee or chocolate, while hops have notes of citrus or pine. The flavors of yeast, on the other hand, can range anywhere between banana and clove, to bubblegum.
“When you start thinking about the individual ingredients and their individual flavors, then you can really start thinking about,
