I thought I made a breakthrough a few weeks ago. After writing and ranting about better beer for nearly a year and a half, I was finally asked to recommend a beer selection to pair with a recipe in the Sunday Gazette-Mail. Wow! I was finally getting some respect from the Gazette’s foodies, Tara Tuckwiller and Robert Byers, who do the weekly “Main Ingredient” column. But the request did trigger a “red-flag.”

What I am talking about is “beer typecasting.” The first recipe they asked me to work with was Grilled Bratwurst, the second was Fried Catfish Tacos and the third was “Fish and Chips.” I was able to find what I thought were excellent beer choices to go with each. I noticed all along that none of the recipes fell into the “fine-cuisine” category; but more like cuisine you would find in a sport’s bar. I started to ask myself: ‘Am I (and better-beer) being played?’ I obliged them anyway, hoping for the best.

I withheld making any conclusions until this week. Where was that e-mail asking me to pair something with this week’s recipe? My inbox fell silent. Hmmm… My suspicions may have been confirmed this morning as I was sipping on my delicious black coffee and un-banding the Sunday Gazette-Mail. Oh! What’s this? A wonderfully delicious looking dish made with meat from a goat. Oooh, looky! It’s Parmesan and mint-crusted chops and looks like a fine dining entrée. “Hey, honey, they asked John Brown to give a wine recommendation for this dish. How nice.” What? No beer this week? I may just be jumping to conclusions here. Maybe it was a simple oversight on the part of Tuckwiller and Byers? Either way, the subject of typecasting needs to be discussed.

Once again beer has been benched; sitting on the sidelines and chomping at the bit to get back in the game. Why does this happen? It’s simply an oversight by the coaching staff. It comes down to a true under-appreciation of the different aspects and complexity that beer can deliver to the table of “fine-dining.” It’s okay, for there are no “sour-grapes” here… (Rimshot!) It’s hard to blame anyone for thinking this way; just think about all of the tawdry ways beer has been marketed in the past.

I will be the first to admit that the locally available beer selection is very limited, which poses a significant challenge. I am not going to invent beer pairings from the local selection if a proper pairing does not exist. But if I were in nearly any other state with modernized beer laws, I would be able to go head to head with wine on ANY food pairing. There is a beer out there that will pair with just about anything you put in your mouth — just not always in West Virginia.

What beer would go with Parmesan-Mint Crusted Goat Loin Chops? Well, I think American Pale Ale is a slam dunk! Take for instance, Great Lakes Burning River; the citrus, herbal and woody flavors delivered by the hops would harmonize with the fresh mint. Pale Ales are also a great pairing with Parmesan cheese alone, so why not in the crust of goat or lamb? Pale Ale’s bready notes (from the malts) will work well with the caramelized juices that are captured in the bread crumbs as the meat bakes. Mountaineer Pale Ale would be another good one; this time adding a bit of earthy and woody notes from the hop varieties used. If you like more citrus than either one can deliver, find Sierra-Nevada Pale ale or an Anchor Liberty.

I hope “Coach Tuckwiller” and “Coach Byers” will realize that they have got an eager and capable player sitting on the sidelines called craft beer. Beer won’t be able to show you his stuff, unless you put him in the game.

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