Summer grilling evokes one of two foods above all others: either hot dogs or burgers. The quintessential summer foods and icons of grilled cuisine, these descendants of Germanic epicurean staples have come to represent American food at its most basic level. Burgers especially seem to be the immediate response when anyone mentions “American” food, regardless of their Deutschland origins.
Everyone has their own opinion on what makes the “perfect” burger. From bloody rare to hockey-puck well-done, smothered in ketchup, onions, chili — there are as many answers as there are mouths. One of my personal favorites is a burger stuffed with crumbled blue cheese and topped with bacon. The pungent cheese adds a delicious edge to the medium-rare meat, and the salty bacon rounds it out the flavors perfectly. Most people seem to prefer a typical hamburger bun, but I like it on toasted sourdough or even just regular sandwich bread. It still holds everything together, and does not fill up your stomach with bread.
While French fries and potato chips usually dominate as side dishes with burgers, I prefer their small, cylindrical cousin, the tater tot. Seasoned with herbs and spices, these little golden gems should be crispy-crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. (Is it just me, or do they always evoke pleasant memories of eating them as a kid?)
I don’t usually bother with a vegetable offering when serving burgers, unless it is a salad option. Some like to have lettuce and tomato, but I usually avoid those if I am having something like blue cheese and bacon on my burger; the burger and tots are more than enough.
Pairing beer with a burger can be tricky, and depends greatly on what else you have going on. A tangy barbecue sauce does not call for the same beer as a Swiss cheese and onion burger, and a side of fries is very different than, say, baked beans. My immediate thought for my particular burger was to go with a darker beer like a porter, something smoky and malty to compliment the richness of the dish. But then I thought the flavors might be a bit too heavy and went to a lighter brew: the Helles Bock.
This was not just any Helles Bock. This is This is Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversary “Charlie, Fred, and Ken’s Bock”, an Imperial Helles Bock and the second in the limited release from Sierra Nevada. This beer was created by home brewing legends Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhart along with Sierra Nevada's Ken Grossman to commemorate the occasion. Pouring a lovely clear deep golden-amber and smelling of honey, caramel malt, maple, and toffee, this is not one to miss. The wonderful spicy hoppiness that melds well with the smooth malt character and the alcohol is very subtle, belying the 8.3% ABV (thus the "Imperial" designation).
This beer complimented the burger very well, allowing the pungency of the blue cheese to come through and holding up to the saltiness of the bacon, but did not let itself be overpowered by either ingredient. It cut through the inevitable grease and fat without a problem, balancing with a crisp freshness.
Though a nice stout or porter would have sufficed for this dish, the 30th Anniversary brew was a perfect match.
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2010.