Trial and error led Tiffany Adamowski to create a list of potential pairings to lure the beer connoisseur:
English brown ales are mild, malty and are sweeter on the palate, with a fuller body. Choose an English brown that has a slightly nutty characteristic. Also, try Weissbiers, or wheat beers. These beers are brewed with varieties of yeast that produce phenolic flavors of banana and cloves. Also, dunkelweizens are simply brewed with dark malts, making them brown in color, with the usual clove/banana character.
Brownies need a beer that can stand up to their richness, such as a Russian or American Imperial stout. Imperial stouts are big beers, at 7.5 percent to 12 percent alcohol-by-volume, are full-bodied and have rich roasted flavors that surpass the typical stout. The Russian-style has roasted, chocolate and burnt malt flavors, with low-to-moderate carbonation, and suggestions of dark fruit, such as currant and raisin. The American-style is sometimes aged in bourbon or whiskey barrels.
Typically people think of tea, coffee or fruit to accompany shortbread. Instead of coffee, use any coffee-infused beer. In place of tea, choose an ancient-style beer called Gruit, typically made with sweet gale, yarrow and rosemary. Other herbs, spices and berries give them a palate and aroma similar to tea. In lieu of fruit, choose a fruit lambic. Lambics are primarily brewed in southwest Belgium, where wild yeasts are allowed to land in the beer and kick-start fermentation. Fruit is added after the spontaneous fermentation.