Why You Should Pair Pie and Beer on Pi Day
So, it’s Pi Day (like I have to tell you that). Eating pie is practically mandatory today; you deserve to enhance that experience by pairing your pie with beer. We chatted with pie expert Michelle—co owner, along with her husband Miles, of the Mission District restaurant Pig & Pie—to get savvy on this noble task.
And why should I trust her? you must be wondering. Pig & Pie opened four years ago with, as Michelle put it, “a simple idea”: To serve food and dessert pies, and stay open late. Though the menu has changed over the years, Pig & Pie boasts a menu that is “comfort food driven” (think pork sausage poutine, fried buttermilk chicken and waffles with bourbon butter, and polenta). Their housemade pie selection rotates daily, and always includes seasonal ingredients. (Yes, daily.) They even have a pie maker on staff to ensure perfection. The lovely leg and pie statue (named Miss Pie and crafted by Camila Valdez—the talented Argentine artist behind many sculptures on 24th Street) tells no lies.
Miss Pie
“Cake is bullshit, pie is the real deal,” Michelle explained to us. “People are very specific about pie. If they want cherry pie and you don’t have it, apple pie isn’t going to be an acceptable substitute.”
Truth.
Anyway, the secret to pairing is, well, not much of a secret: Pick flavors that either complement each other neatly (such as a tangerine wheat beer with a lemon pie), or provide stark contrasts (such as an IPA with a pear pie). If the notion of pairing beer and pie is just too outlandish for you still, Michelle and I drafted an oh-so-scientific list of other stellar selections:
– Racer Five IPA and tart apple pie.
– Magnum Opus Belgian and honey quince pie.
– Sudwerk Heifeweizen and lemon Pie.
– Stone Smoked Porter and pecan pie.
– Old Rasputin Imperial Stout and pumpkin pie.
– Trumer Pils and cherry pie.
So while you’re out and about enjoying this holiday, keep these ideas in your mind. Everyone knows that pairing beverages to a cuisine makes you seem undeniably cooler, but it’s about more than that. Pairing a beverage properly to a meal is kind of the bees knees. Balanced flavors create an general feeling of delicious completeness. I swear, it will add an extra (and likely dorky) skip in your step for the rest of your day. Whether you pie at home or pie in the streets, kick it up a notch this year. After all, it is a Monday.
Note: Pig & Pie is super kid friendly, so you can treat the tots (but, obviously, don’t give them beer).
Yay! A cute family!
