Ale and Sushi

[wildcrafter]

Dang Jason! Maybe I can figure a way to get you some square organic watermelons and organic hops ta boot?

Amazing the $ diff from square watermelons to good beer.

Marketing and awareness,,,the same?

[drewseslu]

I like an American Wheat with Sushi, or even better, Great Divide's Samuri Ale.

[toddbrew]

Beer with sushi

Um...getting back to the beer with sushi pairing...

Sushi is rice sweetened with sugar and vinegar with raw fish on top. Obviously the sweetened/vinegared rice must not be ignored here in the states when choosing beers to pair with it. In Japan, the raw fish to rice ratio is much different with the fish often too big to even fit on the rice. Here in the good ole USA, we load up on the rice with much smaller pieces of fish.

Second in choosing a good beer would be the fish type that you are eating. Lean, delicate fish will not hold up to some beer, where as fatty robust fishes will be able to stand up to hearty beers with no problem. There is also the "non-fish" nigiri category which is small but can include bolder flavors like Unagi, octopus, cuttlefish, scallop, boiled eel, thick cooked egg etc.

I like to stick with beers that have something to offer to enhance the flavors and textures of the fish and rice. some of my favorites are:
>Kolsch
>Pale Ale (best with fattier fish)
>Pilsner (pref. Saaz and not American hops)
>White Ales (with bolder fish)
>American Wheat
>English Bitters and Milds (earthy hops with heavy fish)
>Cream Ale
>Alt

I have also had some success with replacing the vinegared rice, and pairing Sashimi (just the fish) with a good Berliner Weiss.

TB
p.s. JK, see you soon!

[jason.koehler]

Likewise Todd! Bryan Baird said you guys are going to do a brew while you're here, that's cool! Maybe he can call it a SA/BB collaboration, since those are all the rage these days!

Todd is quite right about the fat content, though admittedly my experience with US sushi is that most sushi restaurants don't serve a lot of fatty fish. This could have changed since I left the US though, and sushi has continued to grow in popularity. There's also a LOT more rice than fish in the US.

I'd also through out saison and wit to go with stong-flavored fish as well.

Wild, there's some nasty little critters who love eating my hops when they're tender and young, but after they grow up a bit they lose interest. Right now I'm spraying in the early stages, so not organic I have some zucchini, but no watermelons.

[JoeV]

shameless self promotion

Trade Route Brewing Co. Ginger Pale Ale and sushi.... need I say more? Seriously though ginger does go great with sushi and a few other folks are making ginger beers out there. Lagers are also a good option in my opinon. I have had some sushi before that I wish I had a quadrupble IPA barley wine stout draino chaser with but I think that had more to do with tha quality and freshness of the sushi rather than pairing considerations.

[SRB]

Thanks a ton for the feedback folks!
Our Sushi selection (Maki rolls, Nigiri and Sashimi) , rice/noodle bowls, fresh spring rolls which we just released and sold out first night amongst our BBQ'd foods has been an overwhelming success up here in our little mountain town!
1/2 pound 12 hour slow smoked pork ribs, mac and cheese, side soup, order of chicken wings, Hamachi Nigiri, Maguro Sashimi and a couple Maki rolls and a few picthers of Ale on the same table? Who woulda thunk?

I look forward to crafting a "Ginger Pale" some day without a doubt!!

[toddbrew]

Great News!!

SRB,
I am glad that you have had success with your foray into sushi and hand rolls...with a name like Salmon River I am not surprised at the turnout

In Japan there is a long tradition of cooking with charcoal on an open fire; if you BBQ, then you should look into the other 95% of Japanese cuisine and not just sushi...people have seent he sushi thing in this country enough I think. Look into Robata-Yaki, Yakitori etc...goes great with beer. Plus, we need to get you serving some more premium Sake at SRB Down the road I guess.

As for your Ginger Pale Ale or other asian themed beer; feel free to contact the guys at Trade Route Brewing in Seattle, Wa. They do not sell their beer in Idaho BUT they have some cool ideas and their beers are delicious...give 'um a call.

Brew on'

TB

[The BrewShed]

Sushi

Ale and sushi are two of my favorites! While dining on such delicate offerings, the ale should be delicate as well. Light bodied, soft herbal spice, with a very dry finish. Keep in mind that most sushi eaters will be drinking either A. water B. green tea C. Sake or D. Japanese beer, (usually Sapparo or Kirin) leaving a clean pallet. Think a little outside the box. Visit as many sushi restaurants you can. Get a feel for the customer base. Maybe use an ingredient used in Japanese cuisine. Hope this helps, and Good luck!

[jason.koehler]

Man, this is an old thread dragged up...

Todd is right about the BBQ thing SRB. You should seriously look into Yakiniku, which is sort of Japanese style Korean BBQ. It's super popular here, and has the potential to start picking up steam in the US.

A major chain restaurant in Japan that serves yakiniku has opened it's doors in the US as well, check out the kind of stuff they're offering...

http://www.gyu-kaku.com/menu/hi_wk/wk_grand.pdf