It would be good with an herbed cream cheese. If you eat fish you could top that with some smoked salmon.

Those would be hominy grits. Regular grits are just dried ground corn.

Weisswurst and Munich Helles before noon. White sausage must be eaten before noon.

They are so close that the difference doesn't matter.

Polenta, grits...same thing.

We could go on and on over beverage pairings. Personally, I would go for something red, probably a syrah or a zinfandel.

Even with all the new beers hitting the market, there are a lot of styles that are just not widely available for one reason or another. That is why I encourage all beer lovers to brew their own. You can make whatever you want and it will more than likely be as good as most commercial beers.

Polenta

Stone Ruination

When I walk into a bar and see that they have twelve different beers on tap that I have never had, it helps me to understand the beer styles. If I ordered a stout and a yellow fizzy beer was served to me I would know that something is wrong.

Beer styles also help the consumer understand what they are getting.

I agree completely. I could definitely judge a RIS on its technical merits and point out flaws in relation to the style.

On the other hand, I could not in a million years tell you what a good marzen is supposed to taste like. I could drink one and enjoy it but I couldn't tell you if it were true to style...but if we are not professional judges, and I am not...then who cares as long as the beer tastes good?

I agree that there are good arguments on both sides. But I think that for the purposes of comparison it makes sense to judge a Russian imperial stout against other Russian imperial stouts. If you were to compare North Coast's Old Rasputin against Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout, the latter would seem thin and watery. In reality it is a very good beer.

While this debate is raging on I will be drinking my way through every style I can find! :-D

One of the things I love about beer is the infinite number of styles. You can take a style of beer like stout and divide it up into any number of subcategories: dry stout, Irish stout, Russian imperial stout, milk stout, sweet stout, etc...then you will have some stouts that can fit into multiple categories. You can certainly have a dry Irish stout.

I imagine the same to be true for barleywine lthough I am not neary as familiar with that style. The website that I order homebrew supplies from carries four different house recipe kits for barleywine; and that does not include any clones of commercial beers they carry.

I would criticize this move by the feds but I am fearful of being audited so I will remain neutral.

Quiche is a great idea. You can really clean out the fridge when making a quiche.

A lot of people mix some eggs into the ricotta. I have not personally done this. THat would be an extra source of protein as well.

There is plenty of protein in the cheese.

How about chorizo AND zucchini!

I don't like mussels.

I would never think to pair a barleywine with crunch salty things. I have always gone with sweets and strong cheeses.

I will have to give it a try.

You have received a lot of good recommendations. THere are no incorrect answers when it comes to quiche.

Pancetta is always a welcome addition in my house.

Thank you. :-P

clams and mussels call for sauv blanc, garlic, shallots, diced tomato, and basil. But that is a different board...

But that is the point. The OP is looking for a beer to go into a pot of soup. Unless they are entering their soup into some cooking competition, then go with the Budweiser. The difference in the final product will be so minimal as to make a significantly more expensive beer a waste.

If you want to put Munich Helles in a pot of soup go ahead. I will drink mine.

Throw some ham in there and you are on to something.

Doppelbock is far darker than the OP is looking to use. If color were no issue I would reccomend a stout.

If we are looking for our favorite beer that meets the OP's description, then I would go with a Kolsch. But I would not use a Kolsch in soup. It would be a waste.

By "with food" I am assuming you mean with a cheese course or dessert. I can not imagine drinking either of those beers with a meal.

I promise you, you would be able to tell no difference between two pots of soup; one made with a pint of Budweiser and one made with a pint of Paulaner Original Münchner. So if there is no distinguishable difference, why not save the Paulaner for your glass?

I have. It was delicious. I would not waste it by putting it in a pot of soup.