You make grass grow for cattle;
    you make plants for human farming
        in order to get food from the ground,
         and wine, which cheers people’s hearts,
        along with oil, which makes the face shine,
        and bread, which sustains the human heart.

Everything is permitted, but everything isn’t beneficial. Everything is permitted, but everything doesn’t build others up.  No one should look out for their own advantage, but they should look out for each other.

Psalm 104:14-15, 1 Corinthians 10:23-24

You may remember this year’s Father’s Day gift from our son, Andrew (who lives in Germany), when he sent over a dozen of his favorite international beers. Our daughter, Naomi, had some fun when she said, “Well I’m hand delivering a six-pack from Miami… and bringing three of dad’s four grandchildren!”

What she didn’t mention was that she and Craig consumed two of the beers before they even left home!

Taste-test:

So far so good on the taste-testing. I have been sending Andrew photos along the way, and thought some of them would work well in this post.

A good beer is always a good beer, but – like wine – it tends to be even better with the right food pairing.

I haven’t thought about it that seriously, but certain foods always tend – for me – to be beer foods while others always lean wine.

Snobbery:

To be clear, I absolutely believe the wine is “correct” only as regards individual taste. Suggested pairings can be fun, and educational, but the wine snobbery that insists on serving specific wines with specific foods misses the mark by a mile.

Other, that is, than that time I was at a wedding reception in a 5-star restaurant in Central Florida. I ordered some exotic lobster dish and asked the waiter for the house blanc. Then the man across from me, who happened to be a movie director from California with his own wine cellar, boatloads of money, and some very exoteric knowledge, ordered the same dish.

“This will pair nicely with the 1973 googly-blah-blah-blah-blah-squiggly-gobbledygook-blah-blah….” the man said, or something equally unintelligible. “Excuse me,” I said, getting the attention of the waiter, “I believe I’ll be having what my friend just ordered.”

The fancy, rare (and most likely overpriced), wine was amazing.

Burgers always, for me, call for beer and not wine. Fried or breaded seafood too. Also breaded chicken. Ditto pretty much any sandwich. The more casual the presentation, the more likely I’m going to order beer.

Friday night I planned to cook mahi-mahi. I thought about wine. But then I dusted the fish with a light House-Autry, cooked it quickly on the pan, and served with breaded okra and a few hushpuppies. Beer all the way.

Happy eating this weekend, and happy beer-tasting too. Just be reasonable about it; because too much of either beer or wine will not only spoil the meal, it will ruin the evening for everyone else too.

“Everything is permitted, but everything doesn’t build others up.  No one should look out for their own advantage, but they should look out for each other.”

Peace and more peace – DEREK