Beer with butter chicken, dal makhani and rich North Indian curries

What these dishes ask of a beer

Butter chicken, dal makhani, shahi paneer and malai kofta share a profile. They are rich in fat from butter, cream and cashew. Many are slightly sweet from tomato, onion or cream. The heat is usually moderate. The spicing is warm: garam masala, kasuri methi, cardamom.

A good beer partner needs three things. Carbonation to lift the fat off your tongue. Enough malt sweetness to meet the sweetness of the gravy. And bitterness kept modest, because bitterness and chilli heat amplify each other. Our guide to beer and spicy food explains why.

Butter chicken

Murgh makhani, the Delhi classic, is tandoori chicken in a buttery tomato gravy finished with cream and dried fenugreek leaves. It is sweet, tangy and gently spiced.

• Märzen or Vienna lager. Toasty, caramel malt matches the browned butter and the tomato. Clean lager carbonation keeps it fresh. Our Märzen guide covers the style.
• Hefeweizen. Banana and clove sit well beside the warm spices. The high carbonation cuts cream.
• Amber ale. Caramel and a moderate hop bite for those who want a little more bitterness.

Avoid a very bitter West Coast IPA here. The gravy's sweetness pushes bitterness forward and the pairing can turn metallic.

Dal makhani

Dal makhani is whole black urad dal and rajma, cooked slowly for hours, then finished with butter and cream. It is earthy, smoky when the dal is cooked over coals. It is also very rich.

• Dunkel or schwarzbier. Bready, lightly roasted dark lagers match the earthiness without weighing it down.
• Porter. Chocolate and roast meet the smoky depth of a well-made dal.
• A gentle smoked lager. If the dal has a smoky dhungar finish, a light rauchbier can echo it. Keep it subtle.

Shahi paneer, korma and malai kofta

These are the richest and mildest dishes on the table: creamy, nutty, often with saffron or cardamom. They need beer with fruit and spice rather than roast.

• Belgian dubbel. Dried fruit and caramel suit cashew and cream gravies.
• Belgian tripel. Spicy yeast and a dry finish cut through malai kofta. It is strong, so pour small.
• Witbier. Coriander and orange brighten a heavy korma.

Rogan josh and other red curries

Kashmiri rogan josh is mutton slow-cooked with Kashmiri chilli, which gives colour more than fierce heat, plus fennel and ginger. It is rich in fat but less creamy than butter chicken.

• English brown ale or bitter. Nutty malt, modest bitterness and soft carbonation suit the mutton.
• Red ale. Caramel and light roast match the deep red gravy.

If your rogan josh runs hot, step down in bitterness and up in sweetness.

Temperature and glass

Serve malty lagers at about 6 to 8 °C and darker or Belgian beers a few degrees warmer. Ice cold beer numbs the palate and hides the malt that makes these pairings work, while a beer that has warmed beside a hot dish loses its fizz. Pour into smaller glasses and top up, rather than leaving a large glass to warm through a long meal.

Bread, rice and the rest of the table

Pairings change when the whole meal arrives. Naan, butter roti and jeera rice soften the curry, so a slightly hoppier beer can work with a full plate. Raita cools the heat. Pickles and onion salad add acid and sharpness.

If you are pouring one beer for a mixed table of North Indian dishes, a Märzen or a hefeweizen covers most of it. For two beers, add a porter for the dals and darker gravies. Our wider guide to Indian food and beer pairing covers other regional cuisines. The tandoori pairing guide deals with the dry dishes from the same kitchen.

Testing your own pairings

These are suggestions, not rules. Restaurants and home cooks make these dishes very differently. A sweet butter chicken behaves differently from a tangy, chilli-forward one. Try two beers with the same dish and note which made the next bite taste better.

Pour small measures, serve plenty of water and offer good alcohol-free drinks for guests who prefer them. A lassi or a chaas is a perfectly good pairing too. Working out why a pair works, by tasting the structure of the beer and the dish, is a skill you can train.

Common questions

What beer goes best with butter chicken?

A malty lager such as a Märzen or Vienna lager, or a hefeweizen. Both have enough sweetness and carbonation to handle the butter and cream without clashing with the spice.

Is IPA good with North Indian food?

Usually not with rich, creamy curries. Bitterness and chilli heat amplify each other. Sweet gravies make bitterness taste harsher.

What beer suits dal makhani?

Dark lagers like dunkel or schwarzbier, or a porter. Their bready and roasted notes match the earthy, smoky dal.

Do I need different beers for each dish?

Not necessarily. A Märzen or hefeweizen covers most of a North Indian meal. Add a porter if there are darker dals or meat curries.