Beer with pizza and burgers

Why pizza and burgers suit beer

Pizza and burgers are built from things beer handles well. Melted cheese and meat fat coat the palate, so carbonation has something to lift. Tomato brings acidity and sweetness. Wood-fired crusts and grilled patties bring char and browned flavour, which meets toasted and caramel malt halfway. There is rarely much chilli, so hoppier beers have more room than they would with a biryani or a Chettinad curry.

That is why the default works: a cold lager with a pizza is never a disaster. The point of this guide is moving from fine to good.

Margherita and the simple pizzas

A Neapolitan-style margherita is tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil on a blistered crust. Delicate food wants a clean beer. A German pilsner is close to perfect, since its floral hops pick up the basil and its crisp bitterness cuts the cheese. A Munich helles is softer and lets the tomato sweetness come through.

A marinara, with no cheese at all, takes the same beers. Garlic and oregano also like a witbier.

Pepperoni, sausage and the spicier pizzas

Cured, spiced meats bring salt, fat and some paprika heat. This is where an amber lager or a Vienna lager earns its place, with toasty malt to meet the browned meat and enough fizz to clean up the oil. If the pizza is topped with jalapeño or the chilli flakes come out, keep the beer's bitterness moderate, because hops make chilli feel hotter.

Indian chains and many independent pizzerias put paneer tikka, tandoori chicken or peri-peri toppings on their pizzas. Treat these like the kebabs in our tandoori pairing guide: a witbier or saison for paneer, a dunkel or amber lager for charred chicken.

Mushroom, four cheese and white pizzas

Earthy mushroom, truffle oil and caramelised onion pizzas want darker malt. A German dunkel or an English brown ale has nutty, bready notes that sit naturally with mushrooms. A four cheese pizza, with its blue or aged cheese, is richer still. A Belgian blonde or a saison cuts the fat with carbonation and adds fruit and spice from the yeast. Our beer and cheese pairing guide goes deeper on matching particular cheeses.

Burgers: the pale ale's home ground

A classic cheeseburger, with a grilled patty, melted cheese, pickles, onion and a soft bun, is the meal American pale ale was practically designed for. A pale ale typically sits around 30 to 50 IBU, enough bitterness to cut fat without overwhelming the food. Its caramel malt matches the seared crust. Citrus and pine from the hops brighten everything.

From there, adjust to the burger:

• Fried chicken burger: a pilsner or a crisp lager. Fried food wants carbonation above all.
• Aloo tikki or veg burger: a Vienna lager or a witbier, depending on whether the patty leans spiced or mild.
• Smoky barbecue or bacon burger: a porter or, for the adventurous, a German rauchbier made with smoked malt.
• Mutton or lamb burger: a brown ale or an amber ale for the richer meat.

A big double IPA with a burger sounds like a good idea and often is not. At high bitterness and 8% ABV or more, it overpowers the food and fills you up fast.

Mind the temperature

Most pizza in Indian cities now arrives by delivery, hot, while the beer comes straight from a fridge set close to freezing. Ice-cold beer numbs the palate. The malt and hop flavour you chose the beer for simply disappears. Take a pilsner or pale ale out about ten minutes before the food lands so it is around 6 to 8 °C when you pour. Darker, maltier beers can sit a little warmer. Pour into a glass rather than drinking from the can, so you get the aroma too.

The sides matter too

Fries are fried potato and salt. Any crisp lager suits them. Onion rings take an amber lager. Peri-peri fries bring chilli, so drop the bitterness. Coleslaw and pickles add acid that makes a malty beer taste fresher.

A pizza night is also the easiest home tasting you can run. Order two contrasting pizzas, open a pilsner, a pale ale and a dunkel, then swap them around. Some combinations will suddenly click. Others will clash. The interesting part is working out why. That is the skill a sensory course trains properly. As always, these pairings are suggestions, not rules.

Common questions

What is the best beer with pizza?

For a margherita, a German pilsner or Munich helles. For meatier or spicier pizzas, an amber or Vienna lager handles the fat and salt better.

What beer goes well with a burger?

An American pale ale is the classic choice. Its moderate bitterness cuts fat while its caramel malt matches the grilled patty.

Is IPA good with pizza?

A moderate IPA works with rich, cheesy pizzas. With chilli-topped pizzas the bitterness makes the heat feel stronger, so choose a maltier beer.