3. Seared Spanish octopus with house-made merguez sausage, roasted potato and pimento aioli, served with the Chimera Amber Lager
This dish is the classic meat-lover’s seafood dish, and also a great beer partner. Big, hearty chunks of octopus mingle with roast potatoes and house-made merguez sausage (a spicy sausage made with lamb), all nestling in red wine and a sweetly hot pimento aioli. It’s comfort food at its finest and perfect for the Chimera Amber Lager, brewed Belgian-style.
“We saw this dish as a must on our menu. It’s so great for sharing, and I love the Chimera with it,” McCarthy said. “It’s a brew full of malt notes, with a residual sweetness that really stands up to the boldness and fat of the sausage.”
But beer with a dish made using red wine? The Chimera is Thirsty Bear’s multicultural brew, with Belgian dark specialty malt, German lager yeast, and American hops. It could easily be likened to a red wine with its full body and back-of-the-mouth cut. And it works. After all, enjoying the conviviality of beer with a plate of spicy, bold-flavored and sumptuous food designed to share captures the essence of what gastropub dining is all about.
