# Which pairs better with food - beer or wine?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pairs-better-with-food-beer-or-wine/539122
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** beer, wine
**Created:** [May 12, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pairs-better-with-food-beer-or-wine/539122 "2010-05-12T00:29:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pairs-better-with-food-beer-or-wine/539122/1 "2010-05-12T00:29:43Z")
I’ve been really getting into craft beer lately, so I’ve been reading a lot of articles and whatnot on beer. Some are arguing that beer actually pairs better with food because beer has a wider range of flavors and it doesn’t have nearly as many unpairable foods as wine does - spicy foods, notably. Of course, conventional wisdom generally dictates that wine is the preferred drink with a meal when eating out or having a fancier meal.
I personally prefer beer, but beer has a few things going against it - restaurants have a small beer selection compared to wine, servers know less about beer than wine, and it isn’t considered proper to have beer with a really fancy meal. Wine is fine, but I have an easier time pairing food with beer. What do you think?
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pairs-better-with-food-beer-or-wine/539122/2 "2010-05-12T01:07:18Z")
Depends on the food. Depends on the beer. Depends on the wine.
I can generally find a wine to fit just about any food. The problem I find with beer is that while it often goes with a dish, it seldom _enhances_ it. The proper wine, OTOH, can take a dish from the excellent to the sublime. There are exceptions, of course, and YMMV. But _as a general rule_ I think wine pairs better.
I’m still likely to order a Sierra Nevada and to hell with the pairing, but that’s just me.
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pairs-better-with-food-beer-or-wine/539122/3 "2010-05-12T01:43:56Z")
I think beer pairs better with the cuisines of non-viticultural parts of the world, but for those cuisines that _do_ have a relationship with wine, you’re really missing something by not drinking wine, IMO.
But, you know, drink what you like.
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### Author:  [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pairs-better-with-food-beer-or-wine/539122/4 "2010-05-12T02:06:04Z")
not a fan of sugary drinks, so i would much rather have a beer cleaning my palate than wine. even a coors. i think you could pair most beers with a meal and it would complement the mean just fine. however a good wine, while harder to pair, if done right gives bigger returns.
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pairs-better-with-food-beer-or-wine/539122/5 "2010-05-12T02:10:44Z")
Both.
But usually beer for hot food.