I am a huge fan of poutine. I don’t know if it’s my north-west upbringing, but there is something magical about chips and gravy. And the Canadians proudly make it their national dish, when served with cheese curds. It’s a street food sensation around the world nowadays. And The Boot Micropub in Wellington start serving it tomorrow.
Naturally, I headed down for a sneak preview today. The Boot has only been going a few months, and now they have an operational kitchen, so I think we can look forward to more culinary goodies. But this is a great start. Poutine is a fantastic food to pair with a range of beer styles, because it has that slightly sweet, meaty savouriness, fattiness and saltiness that goes so well with key characters in a number of different beer types.
Pro tip: I paired mine with Turning Point Brew Co’s Lucid Dream 5.0% ABV milk stout this evening and it was an absolute dream. The richness of the dish complemented the creaminess of the beer, but the natural sweetness of the cheese and gravy offset the beer, helping to bring out a strong roasted coffee character, which I thought did wonders for the flavour of both.
