Published on August 15, 2012 on Ledger-Enquirer

You’ve likely paired different wines with food. Perhaps you’ve even experimented beyond white wine with chicken and red wine with steak.

But have you considered what pairs well with your favorite beer?

Ted Reader, author of “Beerlicious,” has.

The Canadian grilling guru pairs various beers — popular and less known — with his favorite grilled meats in his book.

His inspiration? Experience. “It took me a lifetime to figure it out. Every time someone goes to the barbecue they have a beer in their hand,” he said.

He started paying attention to which beers tasted best with his favorite dishes and then created pairings based on his tastings.

No snobbery was involved in his process.

“I don’t have the greatest beer palate but I do love drinking beer,” he said.

He loves variety and can’t pick a favorite type of beer.

“On a hot day… the beer I need to drink is icy cold smooth and goes down quick. That to me is the greatest beer ever,” he says.

At backyard parties, he loves pulling a can of beer out of a cooler and coming away with a frozen wrist.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a Budweiser drinker. But taste beers. Buy different beers and explore,” he encourages. Ask yourself “I wonder what that would be like drizzled on my steak?”

CLICK HERE to read more.