In this article we’ll give you some flavor inspiration for designing recipes that combine well with this excellent – Ommegang Charles Quint – beer.
The characteristics of the Charles Quint Beer
This Ommegang tastes like no other beer and what’s more it is a true thirst quencher. No fewer than 3 varieties of hops are used to brew it.
These hops provide a floral, spicy flavor with complex bitter notes, enveloped in a delicate citrus aroma. Re-fermentation in the bottle ensures that the taste and aromas come perfectly to the fore.
Its multi dimensional character is reflected in the Foodpairing tree of Ommegang Keizer Karel, it grants a lot of Foodpairing potential to this beer.
Foodpairing Tree
The subtle spiciness in the beer is mainly attributed to the chosen yeast strain tasked to ferment the beer. This flavor can also be found in asparagus and vanilla (find them in the Ommegang Foodpairing tree). These simple links gave us the spark to create two amiable food companions.
With the aid of the Foodpairing Inspiration Tool we filled in the blanks. Choose Ommegang as a main ingredient, add asparagus, search for other fitting ingredients and be inspired. Keep in mind that you can use the beer in your recipe, but it also can be served on the side. Here’s what we came up with.
Asparagus – Cream Cheese – Shrimp
Starting from the Ommegang – asparagus combo in the Foodpairing Explorer, we hopped to cream cheese, having some lactone aromas in common with the beer and the asparagus. Next we selected bread, which will link in the fruity theme.
Ommegang Charles Quint beer – apple – lemon – vanilla – pistachio
This dish emphasizes the fruity and citrusy character of the beer that is served on the side. Sparked by the vanilla match, we searched for appropriate fruits. The beer contains a lot of aroma molecules that can be found in apples and lemons, so we decided to go with these two ingredients. That leaves us vanilla, apples and lemon; it is a small task to come up with a matching dessert with these ingredients so common, so go wild…