Taco and Beer Pairings
One could argue that tacos are the perfect food. You can enjoy all the food groups wrapped in one shell, they are easily customizable, and you can have them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
We thought, “What do we love as much as tacos?” It wasn’t hard to determine that it was beer, so we asked our experts to pair our favorite tacos with our favorite beers, and boy did they deliver.
Read on to learn about the best taco and beer pairings and you might just swap your margarita for a craft beer on your next taco night.
Mahi-Mahi Tacos + Stone Buenaveza
Fish Tacos + American Lager
Mahi-Mahi Tacos – City Works and Old Town Pours House
These staple tacos are made with cornmeal beer battered mahi-mahi and garnished with chipotle coleslaw, pico de gallo, cilantro lime cream and micro cilantro served on white corn tortillas.
Carne Asada Tacos + Citrus IPA
3 Floyds Zombie Dust
We’ve picked a pale ale with hop bitterness to cut through the fat of the meat, and citrus to act as its own version of a squeezed lime.
Carne Asada Tacos
These tacos are primarily made with juicy and tender marinated flank steak and topped with diced onions, crumbled cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro.
Chicken Tinga Tacos + Bell’s Amber
Chicken Tacos + Amber
Bell’s Amber
This classic from Bell’s Brewery has hop bitterness to cut through the fat of meat (and guac!) and features a caramelly, bready malt backbone to resonate with the umami flavors of tomato, peppers, and avocado.
Chicken Tinga Tacos – City Works and Old Town Pour House
Our Chicken Tinga Tacos are made with house-smoked spicy pulled chicken and are topped with avocado mash, pickled red onion, grilled corn, micro cilantro and queso fresco all encased in white corn tortillas.
Tacos Al Pastor + Malty Lager
Shiner Bock
This malty lager has the sweetness of caramel malt, which matches the sweetness of the pork.
Tacos Al Pastor
These tacos are made with seasoned and marinated pork topped with pineapple, onion, and cilantro.
Impossible Tacos
Vegetarian Tacos + Farmhouse Ale
Off Color Apex Predator
Off Color’s flagship Saison features juicy fruit and pineapple along with notes of lemon grass which will help give some bright notes to roasted vegetable tacos.
Impossible Tacos – City Works and Old Town Pour House
You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy our Impossible tacos made with Impossible meat, jalapeño salsa verde, avocado mash, chipotle aioli, pico de gallo, micro greens, and served on corn tortillas.
Beer Pairing Tips from Bottleneck’s Experts
1. Try to match the intensity of whatever food and beer you would like to pair. Don’t let one drown the other out!
2. A successful pairing should highlight desirable flavors in both the beer and food, or create new flavors not originally present in the dish.
3. Don’t be afraid to try a pairing – experimentation is the fun part!
If you like pairings, check out our guide to the best pizza and beer combos. Share your pairings with us on social media. Cheers to tacos!