Grilling Salmon? This Beer Pairing Will Make Your Meal 10x Better

There's no doubt your grilled salmon is going to be delicious (and here's a tip on grilling it with the skin still on), but what would make it 10 times tastier is the perfect beer pairing. But how do you pick the right one? We asked Matthew Campion, co-founder of Lunchbox Brewing Company, to help us determine which beer really works with grilled salmon. And as it turns out, you'll want to consider what the salmon is seasoned with before making your final decision.

"For simply seasoned grilled salmon, I'd start with a Kolsch-style ale," says Campion. (By the way, Kolsch also pairs well with tuna.) "Salmon has plenty of richness, but its flavor can still be overwhelmed by a big beer," he adds. "Kolsch sits in a useful middle ground. It's light-bodied, dry, crisp, and moderately bitter, with a little soft malt sweetness and sometimes a subtle apple or pear note." Campion notes that other beers play better with different types of salmon seasonings. He suggests a Vienna lager for anything with a sweeter glaze (like maple, honey, or teriyaki), and a dry saison or a pilsner for anything aggressively seasoned, like blackened or Cajun.

Matthew Campion says that when you serve beer with grilled salmon, it should be cold, but not too cold. If you grab it straight from a cooler, that might be too early — you're aiming for about 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. That way, the beer's more delicate flavor isn't muted by the low temperatures. He also suggests that you don't drink it straight from the can, either.

"I'd also pour it into a clean glass rather than drink it directly from the can," explains Campion. "A narrow Kolsch or pilsner glass is ideal, but an ordinary pint glass is perfectly fine. Pouring the beer allows some carbonation to escape and opens up the aroma, which makes a noticeable difference with a delicate style." But don't fuss with a frosted glass; it'll likely push your beer back down into too-cold territory, dulling its flavors. 

And while Campion says no beer is really a forbidden pairing with salmon, your ideal would be anything that's relatively dry and refreshing, but nothing too flavorful that it'll overpower each bite of fish. Examples include German pilsner, helles lager, blonde ale, cream ale, or an American wheat beer (here's a handy beer guide, in case you need it). Just remember that it should be clean-tasting, and don't rush to drink it while it's too cold.