6 Traditional Mardi Gras Food & Beer Pairings
Mardi Gras comes late this year and lands on Tuesday, March 5. To help you celebrate Fat Tuesday, here are six traditional Southern meals and beers that pair perfectly with them. Happy Mardi Gras!
By The Beer Community on Feb. 21, 2019
Mardi Gras, a.k.a. Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, is a Carnival celebration that includes bright colours, beads, huge parties, and last but not least, good food. Start planning what you’re going to eat and drink with these great traditional Southern meal and beer pairings.
6 Fat Tuesday Meals & Beer Pairings
Crawfish
Beer Pairing for Crawfish: Cream Ale, Blonde Ale, or Red Ale
Beer and “mudbugs” go hand in hand. When eating crawfish it’s important that you have the best beer to go with it. Luckily, it’s not hard to find the perfect fit. Crawfish usually pairs best with anything refreshing and crisp. Try a light cream ale, a tangy blonde ale or a bold red ale to accompany your crawfish feast!
Crawfish Beer Pairings We Love:
Cream Ale – Anderson Craft Ales (London, ON)
Porch Light – Big Rock Brewery (Calgary, AB)
Bear Naked Ale – Adirondack Brewery (Lake George, NY)
Rose City Red – Alameda Brewhouse (Portland, OR)
Traditional Crawfish Recipes To Try:
Old-Fashioned Crawfish Boil
Crawfish Macaroni & Cheese
Grilled Crawfish with Spicy Tarragon Butter
Crawfish Etouffee
Gumbo
Beer Style Pairing for Gumbo: Doppelbock
This stew-like dish is a Mardi Gras staple. The spicy and bold meal pairs wonderfully with a bock lager or doppelbock beer. The sweet maltiness in a doppelbock creates the perfect balance and contrast with a spicy, heavy dish.
Doppelbocks To Try with Gumbo:
Burly Goat Doppelbock – Granville Island Brewing (Vancouver, BC)
Double Doople Doppelbock – Waterloo Brewing (Kitchener, ON)
Samuel Adams Double Bock – Samuel Adams (Boston, MA)
Oxnbräu – Urban Chestnut Brewing Company (St. Louis, MO)
Traditional Gumbo Recipes:
New Orleans Creole Gumbo
Chicken, Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo
Seafood Gumbo
Gumbo with Roasted Potatoes
Shrimp and Grits
Grits and Shrimp Beer Pairing: Pale Ale
Shrimp and grits is considered the “Southern Dynamic Duo”. A pale ale is the perfect beer to pair with this creamy, light dish. You want to pick a pale ale that is a slightly on the lighter side as you don’t want the beer to overpower your meal. If you like your shrimp and grits on the spicer side, grab a pale ale with a stronger hop flavour to flatter the spices.
Pale Ales We Love With Shrimp & Grits:
A Beer – Against The Grain Brewery (Lexington, KY)
Trail Beer – 10 Barrel Brewing Company (Bend, OR)
4 Mile Pale Ale – 4 Mile Brewing Company (Victoria, BC)
Swap the Hops Pale Ale – Bent Stick Brewing (Edmonton, AB)
Shrimp and Grits Recipes:
Cheesy Shrimp and Grits
How to Make the Perfect Shrimp and Grits
Creole Shrimp and Grits
Cajun-Style Shrimp and Grits
Crab Cakes
Beer and Crab Cake Pairing: IPA or Pilsner
Crab cakes are the ultimate New Orleans comfort food. Pilsner is a lighter beer that offers citrusy zest, which pairs nicely with seafood, especially crab cakes. If you like your crab cakes on the spicy side, pair it with a bitter IPA that cuts right through the heat.
Best Crab Cake Beers:
Czech Pilsner – Brewsters Brewing Company (Calgary, AB)
Class V – Whitewater Brewing Company (Ottawa, ON)
12 oz. Curl – Ale Asylum (Madison, WI)
Gigantic IPA – Gigantic Brewing (Portland, OR)
Crab Cake Recipes You’ll Love:
Delicious, Golden Crab Cakes
Maryland Crab Cakes with Tartar Sauce
Easy Crab Cake Recipe
Baltimore-Style Crab Cakes
Jambalaya Rice
Jambalaya Beer Pairing: Smoked Beer
Jambalaya is usually filled with veggies, Andouille sausage, shrimp, and sometimes chicken. You can pretty much put whatever you want in a Jambalaya. A common theme amongst Jambalaya recipes are the abundance of spices. Pair your Jambalaya with a smoky beer to compliment the spices and boost the smokiness from the sausage.
Smoked Beers To Pair With Jambalaya Rice:
Smoke on the Lager – Chilly Water Brewing Company (Indianapolis, IN)
Sooty Brother Grätzer Ale – Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (Denver, CO)
Smoke & Mirrors – Coal Harbour Brewing Company (Vancouver, BC)
Stormy Monday – Parallel 49 Brewing (Vancouver, BC)
Jambalaya Recipes You Need To Try:
Traditional Jambalaya in the Slow Cooker
New Orleans Spicy Jambalaya
Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp, and Sausages
Spaghetti Squash Jambalaya
Po’ Boy Sandwich
Beer & Po’ Boy Sandwich Pairing: Kölsch
A po’ boy is a traditional sandwich from Louisiana. Usually filled with meat or friend seafood, po’ boy sandwiches are often a hearty meal. Balance out your filling, bready meal with the lightness of a Kölsch-style beer. Kölsch beers are also a great pairing with pretty much any type of shellfish.
Our Favourite Kölsch Beers:
1857 Kölsch – Abe Erb Brewing Company (Kitchener, ON)
Kölsch – Boiling Oar Brewing Company (Calgary, AB)
The Boot – Abita Brewing Company (Covington, LA)
Rajun Cajun’s Ale – Bayou Teche Brewing (Arnaudville, LA)
New Orleans Po’ Boy Sandwich Recipes:
Fried Catfish Po’ Boy with Spicy Remoulade Sauce
Shrimp Po’ Boy
Fried Crawfish Po’ Boy
Oyster Po’ Boy Sandwiches
For more beer and food pairings, check out these awesome posts:
Beer and Vegetable Dish Pairings
Pair Your Beer with French Fries
Craft Beer and BBQ Pairings
Best Beer Pairings for Thanksgiving Dinner