3 Beer Pairings For Lobster To Match Every Appetite

Nothing says luxury like lobster, whether you're tucking into a whole lobster feast, spooning creamy lobster bisque, digging into lobster spaghetti with white wine tomato sauce, or trying something new like lobster mashed potatoes. While lobster is pricey, it's the taste and texture that exudes that luxurious air — it's succulent, buttery, rich, and sweet-meets-savory. The only way to elevate lobster is with a brilliant drink pairing. One might assume this means wine, but there's a whole world of options with beer. Beer tends to get overlooked for finer pairings, which is a mistake. There are hundreds of styles abundant with flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel, each able to highlight different elements of dishes. There is some precedent for teaming lobster with beer — consider the perfection of a lobster roll with a shandy. Beer pairings can present a fresh way to enjoy your favorite dishes, lobster very much included. All it takes is a little understanding on why certain beers work with certain foods. 

To drill down into that understanding and get some inspiration for pairing beer with lobster, in particular, we turned to an expert. Rich Higgins is a master cicerone, certified sommelier, and former brewmaster. He pulled from his vast knowledge to recommend three pairings that represent levels of sorts: A saison as an entry point, a specialty Belgian ale for more nuance and indulgence, and a dark beer for an advanced introduction to contrasting flavors.

"The no-brainer lobster pairing is Saison Dupont," Rich Higgins says, "with its lemony, peppery, herbaceous bouquet to dress up the lobster, plus subtle acidity and spritzy carbonation to cut through all the butter and cream." Saison Dupont is a Belgian ale brewed since 1844. In general, saisons are known as farmhouse ales because of the tradition of farmers making them in the French-speaking region of Belgium, often with wild yeasts and a variety of local ingredients. While the ABV of saisons can range from 5-7%, they tend to be lower in alcohol, high in carbonation; dry-finishing; bursting with spice and citrus notes; and balanced by touches of hop bitterness and acidity. They're so refreshing, they were originally brewed during early spring for farm laborers to cool down with in warmer months.

Saison Dupont is considered a gold standard for the style, and it nails everything you need for a dream match with lobster. It brings its own spices to the dish, and its effervescence, acidity, and bitterness are a welcome counterpart to the lobster's sweetness and richness. Saisons are a known reliable partner for anything with that sweet, rich character, from other types of shellfish to cheeses. You can also try American saisons like Boulevard Brewing Tank 7, Goose Island Sofie, Ommegang Hennepin, and Allagash Saison. 

"A bling-ier recommendation is the more luxe Scaldis Prestige," Rich Higgins explains, "a 13% ABV Belgian specialty ale aged in white Burgundy barrels for 6 months, where it picks up delicate acidity, refined tannins, and hints of tart fruit and brioche." You'll notice this is another Belgian style — they're especially well-suited for lobster because they tend to be extra crisp with carbonation and loaded with citrusy zing plus peppery notes, perfect for both highlighting and cutting this seafood's sumptuous qualities. Scaldis is a bit bolder and is quite complex. It's a Belgian strong ale and this style is known for characteristics of pear, apple, orange, and pepper with some hop bitterness. It works across different lobster dishes, also cutting the richness of pasta, the heartiness of stews, the creaminess of lobster rolls or dips, and the simple sweetness of broiled, buttery lobster tails.

Scaldis Prestige in particular gets more acidity and a pleasant touch of astringency, balanced by some sweetness from those white Burgundy barrels. This gem is up to the task of teaming with lobster because of how special and flavorful it is. Higgins does note that "it's a worthwhile whale to hunt, but it can be hard to find, as it has limited production and is only released once a year." If you can't track it down, try other Belgian strong ales from Duvel, Delirium Tremens, Unibroue, AleSmith, or Russian River. 

If you're seeking more of a contrast in your pairing, Rich Higgins' third pick is for you. "The secret pairing is a not-too-roasty dark beer like a schwarzbier or a porter — think Köstritzer Black Lager or Deschutes Black Butte Porter," he says. "[It] may seem like a way to ruin the shellfish but instead is a magical pairing of the dark malt's toastiness and acidity with the meaty, buttery-sweet shellfish." 

Schwarzbiers like Köstritzer are German dark lagers; you can also find Czech-style dark lagers like Schilling Beer Co.'s Modernism, and American dark lagers like KCBC's Morbid Hour. Across these interpretations, expect a hint of roastiness, some chocolatey bittersweetness, a bit of dark breadiness, and hop bitterness for balance, along with a dry finish. They're lighter and easier-drinking than porters, though that style is just as delicious with characteristic notes of roast, coffee and chocolate, and — depending on where the porter is from — possibly caramel, toffee, molasses, licorice, and dark, dried fruit.

These darker beers not only cut the lobster with touches of astringency, acid, and roast, but they introduce these new elements to any dish, adding complexity and accenting flavors you may not have picked up on before. They're versatile, too, as Higgins points out, with "the flexibility to work with a wide variety of lobster dishes, from citrusy-garlicky raw or grilled Caribbean preparations to funky, spicy, fried Southeast Asian versions."