The Beer Snob’s 5 Best Burger Beers

For your standard burger and fries, go for a solid pale ale, like Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale. This balanced yet hoppy beer is a great pairing for a classic burger with lettuce, tomato and onion. The hop flavors do a nice job of complementing the veggies, so as not to overpower the burger. However, the bitterness and carbonation can deal with the fat of the meat, cutting through the flavor and washing it down. At 6.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), Dale’s is not a session beer, yet neither is it too heavy or full bodied so you won’t be full from the beer, leaving space for your burger.
For a burger with bacon or other smoky, meaty elements, a scotch ale pairs well. Founder’s Dirty Bastard is a great one. The beer itself is a bit of a malt bomb, with caramel and even dark fruit notes. But it’s the smoky aspect of the scotch ale with its roasted malt flavors that really pair well with the bacon burger. At 8.5 percent ABV, this is no little lager. Dirty Bastard is a big beer, and is a nice sipper to go along with big bites of bacon and burger.
When the burger gets crazier and crazier, with all different types of wild toppings, you’ve got to go for a classic lager to cut through the mess and give you a clean finish. Helles lager is about as classic as it gets. Weihenstephaner Original is a timeless German lager. While more known for its hefeweisen, seek out Weihenstephaner Original for your cookout. Helles translates to bright, and that’s a great idea for a wild and messy burger, these malty but clean lagers can clean the palate from a big, boisterous burger. A 5.1 percent ABV easy drinking session beer, this lager works for any burger you might throw at it.
As with many craft beer enthusiasts, I believe that IPAs are a must with numerous food options, and burgers are no different. Given that many burgers will be quite complex, with various veggie toppings, sauces and such, IPAs can match that intricate mix with malts, hops, sweet and spice. A nice, hoppy IPA will give enough flavor and bitterness to cut through the myriad of flavors, while even complementing the bready bun, and a great one for this is from local brewery Westbrook. The Mt. Pleasant brewery’s India Pale Ale  is hoppy yet drinkable, and a great IPA for any burger.
When getting into a burger with some slightly funky cheese, maybe goat, you could pair a saison, which is crisp and dry, yet also a touch of funk. Saisons are generally lighter, brighter and crisp beers. These are great characteristics to go along with the burger, and keep you from getting overwhelmed by the fat and salt. Yet, it’s the yeasty and ever so slight funk and tartness that makes the saison so unique, and offers a great pairing for non-traditional burger cheese. Hennepin from Brewery Ommegang is a great saison, hoppy and dry, spicy and clean and just a touch tart.
Gene’s Haufbrau is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.