How To Pair Whisk(e)y and Beer // Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition

I’ve been thinking about interesting ways to experiment with whisky pairings. Truth be told, this is a safe one. But it can still be tricky if you don’t really know what to do. So here’s some advice on pairing whisk(e)y and beers.

Article by Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove
Photography is © Jameson and © Mickaël Van Nieuwenhove

How do I pair whisky and beer?

Before I delve into one specific whiskey & beer pairing, the Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition and a bottle of Ouwen Duiker (an American pale ale) by Hedonis brewery, let me offer some advice on how to pair these two fantastic beverages together. I’m not pretending to be able to invent these things all on my own. Instead, I’ve done some research for you, dear reader, so you can benefit from my findings and skip straight to the pairing part.

1) Think about the style and flavor profile of the whisk(e)y and the beer

Depending on the style and flavor profile of the whisk(e)y you’ve picked, you should try and find a beer that corresponds with it. Below, there’s a short list of some flavor profiles and whisk(e)y styles, paired with specific beer styles. For a full explanation, I suggest you check out the full article by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society here.

• Light & delicate, lower ABV whisky - pilsner

• Spicy, dry whisky - lager

• Bourbon cask whisky - wheat beer

• Sweet, fruity, drier notes - Belgian Kriek Lambic

• Juicy, vanilla, wood notes - IPA

• Lightly peated - stout

• Heavily peated - dark/chocolate porter

2) Harmony or contrast?

The list above should help you find pairings that ‘harmonize’ or ‘rhyme’ nicely together. But that’s only one way to pair a dram and a beer. If you focus on the same flavors and scents in both beverages, you often get ‘nice’ pairings. If you’re a bit more on the daring side, you might want to double down on the contrasts. Two flavors that have nothing in common might fit well together.

For example: if your whisky is offering juicy red fruits, you might as well pair it with a chocolate porter to turn it into… you’ve guessed it… a liquid Black forest pie. Yeah, you’re thinking about trying that one out, aren’t you?

3) Ditch the boilermakers and take your time

A whisk(e)y and beer pairing is not the same as ‘having a beer and a shot’. So don’t do that. It ruins the experience because, well, there’s hardly any ‘experience’ to enjoy, now is there? Take your time to explore the scents and flavors of the two beverages you’ve decided to pour. They sometimes need some time to start ‘building’ on each other. Once your palate is used to certain flavors, things start to interact with each other.

4) Don’t be afraid to experiment

There’s an entire science focusing entirely on which flavors pair well with each other. With enough time and research, you can find the best beer to pair with a certain whisky, but I guess that takes away the fun. Also, your palate is your own. It might very well be that you don’t particularly like a certain combination that ‘should make sense’, and that’s more than okay. The proof is in the pudding.

5) These things take time

The more you taste, the better your palate becomes. Don’t rush it.

Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition - Review

This isn’t the first time Jameson decided to experiment with beer casks. A pub conversation between the Jameson Head of Whiskey Science and the Head Brewer of a local craft beer brewery resulted in them swapping out whiskey and beer barrels. Their first release in the “Caskmates” series was a Jameson Stout Edition. Now, it’s time for the IPA Edition.

IPA, in this case, stands for Irish Pale Ale, which normally should mean that there is more of a hoppy, bitter note to the whiskey, combined with a fresh vibe and fruity notes. At least, that’s my experience with most IPAs. Let’s find out!

In the nose, there’s a fresh scent like a spring morning after a nightly shower, followed by a bit of pear, and finally a warmer note with a bit of dust sprinkled around.

The flavors on the palate are nice and soft, without any ‘burn’ overpowering the spirit, but with the same ‘warming’ note that was also part of the scent profile. I’m getting a mixture of ripe apples and bitter hops, which, together, makes this a ‘crisp’ experience. I can almost bite into it. Nice texture as well. The finish is fantastic. Drawn-out, with a pin drop of spices and a drier note. I like this, a lot.

I then paired the dram with the “Ouwen Duiker”, a non-pasteurized American pale ale of 7% ABV, with a bitterness of 37 EBU (European Bitterness Units). This beer, made from pilsner malt and rye malt and containing 4 hop varieties (Magnum, Tettnanger, Mosaic, Citra), pairs fantastically well with the whiskey. This beer is fruity, but also dry and of medium bitterness. It ‘rhymes’ with the ripe apples and bitter hops in the whiskey. Fruitiness, bitter, and a subtle dry note. What’s not to love?