Crisps and Beer Pairings

Brewers always lark on about what foods go best with their beers, whether a curry would be a suitable match for an IPA or a hearty stew provide the perfect accompaniment to a Best Bitter. Yet they seldom mention about crisps, which through thick and thin has been a constant companion to the humble pint, since the first flavoured crisps were introduced by Smiths back in the 1920's. Over the past 70 years as manufacturers developed new flavours for crisps, from cheese and onion in 1954 to salt and vinegar in 1967 and so on; the variety of crisps available to punters have vastly increased to hundreds of flavours and styles whether it is made out of potato, corn or wheat. So the idea about crisp and beer pairings should really be a particuarly pertient one at this moment in time as beers increasingly diversify. The old adage goes that crisps were intially introduced to pubs, since their fatiness and saltiness encourages drinkers to buy more pints, and in turn rake in more profits for the landlords, it is little wonder pubs like The Swan in Bushey has a mountain of snacks to choose from, as it has become a good source of encouraging profit. Yet it would be shallow just to dismiss crisps as a salty snack used to drive up drinking rates. There have been ongoing efforts from independent brewers to improve the quality of their beers, crisp manufacturers like Burts, Pipers and Mackies have striven over the years to improve the quality of their product, so aside from encouraging customers to drink more, their products also provide an ideal pairing to beers. But like cheese and wine pairings, different flavours suit different wines, the same should be said about crisps and beers. 

Indeed flavours like salt and vinegar particuarly go well with golden ales, as the acidity from the vinegar helps dovetail with the potent hopiness that is commonly found with this style. For instance I once tried a packet of salt and vinegar Squares with Bure Gold (4.3%) - Woodfordes and I found that the vinegar actually enhanced the flavour profile of the beer, and brought the hop forward flavours out. The same could be said for Smith's Scampi Fries, which I also find a good match with any blonde or Golden Ale; although in reality it's actually lemon flavoured, the flavour profile makes for a good pairing with this particular style of beer as it helps blend with the refreshing hoppy flavours from the beer rather than overtake it, which is little wonder why the British public voted it the 6th most popular crisp variety. Moreover, when it comes to the likes of Best Bitter which often known for its maltiness, dry mouthfeel and pronounced bitter backtaste, gamier/ meaty flavours should be considered. The smokiness from bacon flavoured crisps like Frazzles would make an ideal pairing for any pint of best, as the smokey tang helps undercut the bitter excesses from the beer, making it easier to drink. The same could be said for beef flavour crisps, when recently sampling some Pipers Longhorn Beef flavoured crisps with Orkney Best (3.6%) - Swannay, the gamey flavours from the crisps help exentuate the malty properties from the beer, thus improving its flavour, rather than detract from it. Now when it comes to darker beers like Stout, Porters and Dark Mild, careful consideration should be put into pairing crisps with this beer style, as quite often this style is known for its pronouced roasted malt flavour profile with notes of coffee, chocolate, caramel and even charcoal are often are detected. This can make it particuarly difficult to match up with any crisp flavour, especially when there are many substyles of stout for instance to choose from, such as Oyster, Milk, Dry Irish, Imperial, Oatmeal and Fruit to take in consideration, which further mudies the waters. Yet most stouts and porters are known for their medium to heavy bodies, especially when lactose and oats are thrown into the mix. Incidentally enough cheese has always been seen as a good flavour pairing with darker beers, as the creaminess from the cheese helps dovetail with the mouthfeel from the beer, and also help counteract the bitterness without overtaking it. Certain types of cheeses like red leicester and cheddar are especially common in crisps, as their relative mildness makes fir a suitable pairing with darker ales. Indeed a packet of Mini Cheddars would be an ideal pairing to the likes of Mena Dhu (4.5%) - St. Austell, as it helps exentuate the complex malt profile of the beer, which features up to six different malts (Pale, Crystal, Chocolate, Smoked, Malted Oats and Roasted Barley) in the mix. The flavourings from the cheddar flavoured crisps actually improve the overall drinking experience. Moreover the marmite style flavourings from crisps like Twiglets would also make a good pairing with darker coloured beers, which staringly obvious since these crisps were originally made from excess brewers yeast, as the strong, salty, earthy and unami rich flavours make an ideal pairing with the astrigent excesses of any Stout, Porter or Dark Mild. Moreover, on the other end of the ABV scale, beer styles like IPA and Strong Ale tend to have deeper and more pronounced flavours, for instance a traditional English IPA is known for their dinstinctly hoppy and aromatic flavour profile, with notes of citrus, spice, caramel and herbs thrown into the mix, along with a bready and biscuity malty mouthfeel to contend with. Indeed other styles like East Coast IPA's and NEIPA have even more hop forward flavours, particuarly when hops like Citra are utilized. Brewers often suggest spicy flavours are the ideal way to temper the beast, and none come more better than a curry, as the spiciness helps counteract the strong flavours that come through with IPA. Most crisps manufacturers usually go for milder types of curries when utilzing them for inspiration, as something like Vindaloo would be perhaps a step to far, unless you happen to be Dave Lister. I have frequently come across flavours like Chicken Tikka, Madras, Katsu Curry and even Currywurst on my travels, not only do curry flavoured crisps have aromatic qualities, they sometimes have a trace of lactose to help cut through the excesses of the spices, much like a real curry made with yoghurt would. So whether you sample a strong IPA like Green Devil IPA (6%) - Oakham, or Star of Eastbourne (6.5%) - Harvey's, the flavours from something like Chip Shop Curry flavoured McCoys is an ideal pairing with this beer style, as it helps pacify the strong flavours coming through from the IPA, yet at the same time it helps bring out the rich and varied flavour profile that is commonly associtated with this beer style. 

At the end of the day when it comes to crisp and beer pairings it really comes down to personal taste. Indeed it would be a pretty obvious choice just go for ready salted as drinkers have done for over a century, but this particular flavour adds nothing to the beer. Today, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to the wide array of flavours out there to choose from, and this allows for more oppertunity to expand our horizons and try out different flavours of crisps with various beer styles.  After all, it is well known that the fatiness from crisps coats your tongue, making you drink more, so choosing the appropriate flavour pairing is imperitive for improving the overall drinking experience whether it would be a sessionable and malty Best Bitter or a dry hopped and citrussy Double IPA. Indeed, there may be plenty of trial and error involved, but hopefully this brief exploration into flavour town will help educate your tastebuds and encourage you to open up a pack of crisps when you next have a pint down the pub or at home.