Long Trail Winter White

So tonight I will start discussing pairings. A pairing is a beer that is chosen to go with a food dish. I will probably talk a lot about pairings on this blog so no better time to start than now.

Tonight I am having one of my favorite dishes to make at home, Pumpkin Polenta with sausage. This dish was introduced to me by some dear friends who saw it on Rachael Ray’s website. It is really simple to make and as you will see if you keep reading, I don’t measure things when in the kitchen.

Basically:

• make polenta (boil water or chicken broth, I make my own chicken broth to make this dish richer, and then add cornmeal till it is a cream of wheat consistency)
• add some canned pumpkin. Wild Oats Co-op was out of pumpkin so I boiled and mashed up a fresh one I had from my fall garden.
• In a pan lightly brown some chopped up sausage (or brats or in my case tonight, chicken sausage) and onions
• Mix in a bowl with a big handful of grated cheddar cheese and some chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Paired with this dish is the Long Trail Winter White. This Belgian style witbier is brewed right up the road in Vermont. Witbier is an easy beer to pair. Often admired with salads and fish, this winter white’s strawberry orange aroma and flavour were amazing with the smooth pumpkin polenta. I am very pleased with my first official pairing. This worked out well and the food and beer balance themselves out smarvelously! ★★★★★