Suggestions for a beer to complement Indian food

[Tibbsey]

Evening all!

Our local Indian as of last week went BYOB... now usually I love a Cobra with my meal and I am poised to try Wild and Windy's recipe as soon as SWMBO allows (probably a psychological limit more than a physical one) Note that this will be my first Lager - I was just wondering what else people would recommend?

I've already found this thread but it seemed a bit limited to non lagers - as a man who doesn't like to discriminate I thought I would open the field a little here

Some background - I (attempt to) brew all grain (3 so far), I like hot curry - thought not kamakazi curry (usually Jalfrezi), I am in no way limited to any style of beer - I'm very open minded(!), I can control brewing temperatures and I can force carbonate, my favourite beer thus far I think still belongs to Wychwood's Fiddler's elbow

Tonight I took my take on Centennial Blonde which although very nice didn't seem perfect curry beer - I welcome any suggestions!

Cheers
Tibbsey

[scuppeteer]

IPA of course!

[mabrungard]

Yes, IPA with its strong malt backbone and drying finish should be a good compliment. An even better option may be the new double IPA's with their huge malt component and fairly dry finish.

[Gold]

IPA is often held as an ideal curry beer but if it wasn't for the name I am sure it wouldn't be, the hops clash with the spice. Personally find that something dark, malty and lower in alcohol so you can drink a decent amount of it complements it much better (particularly mild).

[boingy]

I've tried quite a few different beers with curry and I'm afraid an ice cold Cobra or Tiger is my preference. And I know I can't brew a good clone of those...

[AnthonyUK]

IPA is often held as an ideal curry beer but if it wasn't for the name I am sure it wouldn't be

I don't think it has anything to do with the name
The hop bitterness in IPA can accentuate spicy food but to describe something as curry is pointless as there are 1000's of variations with the heat coming from various spices, pepper or fresh chilli etc all of which react with hops in different ways.
An IPA can accentuate certain dishes too much to the point that they are overpowering.
There is no one catch all beer to match every type of curry unfortunately.

[weiht]

Ipa is a good choice, BUT I think a really good lager/pilsner is a winner. A dark beer will be good as well

[Hanglow]

Mild is the best type of beer I've had with curry to date imo. And I eat and cook a lot of curry

[sunny_jimbob]

my favourite beer thus far I think still belongs to Wychwood's Fiddler's elbowy

I love(d) Fiddler's Elbow. Not seen it on sale for years, sadly, though I bet with the wheat and lemony hops that'd make a nice curry partner.

FWIW, here's the recipe for the rough clone that I brew regularly.

Trombonist’s Elbow

Recipe Specs
—————-
Batch Size (L): 17.5
Total Grain (kg): 3.424
Total Hops (g): 41.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.046 (°P): 11.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (°P): 3.1
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.52 %
Colour (SRM): 7.5 (EBC): 14.8
Bitterness (IBU): 25.9 (Average – No Chill Adjusted)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 75
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
—————-
2.819 kg Maris Otter Malt (82.33%)
0.491 kg Wheat Malt (14.34%)
0.106 kg Crystal 60 (3.1%)
0.008 kg Roasted Barley (0.23%)

Hop Bill
—————-
20.0 g Bobek Leaf (5.2% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (1.1 g/L)
11.0 g Bobek Leaf (5.2% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil) (0.6 g/L)
5.0 g Bobek Leaf (5.2% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (0.3 g/L)
5.0 g Bobek Leaf (5.2% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (0.3 g/L)

Misc Bill
—————-
3.0 g Irish Moss @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 66°C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 20°C with Safale S-04

[Tibbsey]

Excellent, a total clash of opinions, glad to get a few varied suggestions - from light and cold to dark and malty! Possibly the answer lies somewhere in between with a dark larger like you might find at a Mexican restaurant - Like a Negra Modelo or some such.

My thinking at the moment is something cold and refreshing, but not overly strong.

I think a few trial runs are in order - and without the restaurant beer bill it may be tempting to go more often!

Yes Wychwood don't seem to have brewed it for some time now, this was amongst the reasons I decided that all grain would probably be best for me. Might have to give your recipe a try Jimbob, I did manage to find another similar recipe on here by Haz66 and have the ingredients in stock - its firmly on my to do list!

Thanks very much!

[Tibbsey]

Since it doesn't look like he has visited for three years and so there is little point in dropping him a thank you PM - for the record I would just like to say that Wild and Windy's Indian lager recipe really is excellent! My fourth all grain brew and by far the best yet, even had someone say they will take a few more bottles as payment for a favour!

Good colour and plenty fizzy, but full of flavour too - a bit of an ale drinkers lager. Definitly one to repeat after I have tried something different! My only complaint is that its turned out a bit strong, I hit all the gravity targets, but I think the carbonating sugar raised it to nearer 6%... though that does mean that it has lasted a while (brewed in Feb and still 12 bottles left)

Also it was my first bottle conditioned beer, a bit of a PITA, but worth it I reckon (particularly if you aren't guzzling it every night and you need it portable)- I think I will bottle more than I keg in the future.

[contadino]

If you decide to take a keg next time you're visiting your local Indian, could you get a photo of the expressions when you walk in with it?

[sllimeel]

my local Indian has bottled umble ale by Nethergate brewery, it's brewed with a touch of coriander and is lovely with a "ruby"

[Tibbsey]

If you decide to take a keg next time you're visiting your local Indian, could you get a photo of the expressions when you walk in with it?

Ha ha, that could be about as much fun as it is trying to make people jump by not being subtle with the swing-tops!

[seymour]

Mild is the best type of beer I've had with curry to date imo. And I eat and cook a lot of curry

+1