Beer with Lebanese mezze from hummus to grilled halloumi

Mezze is lemon, garlic and olive oil

Lebanese mezze builds on a small set of flavours: lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, tahini (sesame paste), parsley, mint and sumac. Most dishes are fresh and tangy rather than spicy. Fried items such as falafel and kibbeh add crunch. Grilled halloumi and meats add char.

That suits light, crisp and aromatic beers. Acidity in the food makes very bitter beers taste harsh. Garlic and herbs welcome beers with spicy or citrus yeast character. Olive oil and fried food need carbonation. So the beers that shine are Pilsner, witbier, saison and Kölsch, with darker beers saved for the grill.

Hummus and baba ghanoush want something soft

Hummus is chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil. Baba ghanoush (often called moutabal in Lebanon) is smoky roasted aubergine with tahini and lemon. Both are creamy, nutty and tangy.

A Belgian witbier is a lovely match. Its wheat body echoes the creaminess, while its coriander and orange peel brighten the lemon. A Kölsch is the lighter option. With baba ghanoush, the smoky aubergine also welcomes a Vienna lager, whose toasty malt picks up the char from roasting.

Tabbouleh and fattoush need a crisp beer

Tabbouleh is mostly parsley, with mint, tomato, onion, a little bulgur, lemon and olive oil. Fattoush is a salad of vegetables and toasted or fried pita, dressed with sumac and pomegranate molasses. Both are sharp and herbal.

Herbs and acidity suit a German Pilsner at 4.5 to 5% ABV, whose floral and herbal hops sit beside the parsley. A saison is the adventurous choice, dry and peppery with high carbonation. Avoid heavy, malty beers here. They make the salads taste flat.

Falafel and kibbeh love carbonation

Falafel is ground chickpeas or broad beans with herbs and spices, fried until crisp. Kibbeh is bulgur and minced meat shaped around a spiced filling and fried, baked or served raw. Both come with tahini sauce or yoghurt.

Fried food is beer's strongest ground. A Pilsner or a pale lager with about 2.5 volumes of CO2 lifts oil off the tongue. A pale ale at 30 to 40 IBU works too, its citrus hops adding freshness to falafel with tahini. With kibbeh, an amber lager matches the spiced lamb.

Grilled halloumi is a salty treat

Halloumi is a firm brined cheese from Cyprus, widely eaten across the Eastern Mediterranean. Its high melting point means it can be grilled or fried without melting, so it gets a golden crust while staying squeaky inside. It is salty and rich.

Salt makes beer taste less bitter and fuller, which opens the door to hoppier beers. A pale ale is a great match, with bitterness cutting the fat and citrus hops playing against the lemon squeezed on top. A saison is our other favourite. Halloumi with watermelon and mint, a summer classic, suits a witbier.

Labneh, strained yoghurt drizzled with olive oil and za'atar, belongs in the same corner of the table. Its tangy creaminess is closer to the dips than to the cheese. Pour the witbier or a Kölsch, both low in bitterness, so the yoghurt's sourness stays pleasant.

Shawarma, shish taouk and the grill

Mezze often leads into grilled meats: shish taouk (chicken marinated in garlic, lemon and yoghurt), kafta (spiced minced lamb or beef) and shawarma. The char and spice can take more malt.

A Vienna lager or a Märzen suits kafta and shawarma, picking up the char. Shish taouk, with its garlic sauce (toum), likes a crisp Pilsner or a witbier. If you want to try a darker beer, a brown ale works with lamb kafta. Toum is very strong raw garlic whipped with oil and lemon. It tends to dominate everything near it, so a beer with its own bold character, such as a saison, stands up better than a delicate lager. Our guide to beer with smoked barbecue and grilled meats covers more grilled pairings.

Building a mezze beer flight

For a mezze evening, three beers cover almost everything: a witbier for dips, a Pilsner for salads and fried bites and a Vienna lager for the grill. Serve the lagers at 4 to 7 °C and the witbier at 6 to 8 °C. Small glasses suit the small plates. Our guide to setting up a beer tasting covers glass sizes and order.

Try this: taste hummus with the witbier, then with the Pilsner. The witbier makes it taste creamier. The Pilsner makes it taste lighter and more lemony. Neither is wrong. Noticing the difference is the skill sensory training builds.

Your first step: next time you order mezze, ask for a witbier with the hummus and a Pilsner with the falafel. Swap them over halfway and see which you prefer.

Common questions

What beer goes best with hummus?

A Belgian witbier. Its wheat body suits the creamy chickpeas and its citrus and coriander brighten the lemon and tahini.

What beer pairs with grilled halloumi?

A pale ale or saison. Salt softens bitterness, so a hoppier beer works well with the rich, salty cheese.

What beer suits falafel?

A crisp Pilsner or pale lager. Carbonation cuts the fried crust and a light hop note freshens the tahini sauce.