It's Tailgate Season! Find The Best Beer, Food Pairings

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — Bring on the beer and food for tailgate season!

Rob Nowaczyk of Fireman's Brew and chef Dennis Cruz of Fuku Burger stopped by KCAL9 Tuesday to share tips for successful tailgate food and beer pairings!

Lighter beers pair best with lighter dishes!

• Look for lighter beers like the Fireman's Brew Blonde, Kirin or Blue Moon to match with delicate (or lighter) dishes like:

• Fish tacos
• Starters like chips and quacamole or cheese quesadillas
• Smoother/crisper beers like our Fireman's Brew Blonde pair up great with grilled chicken or fish
• Fuku Burger's Firecracker Burger is a great pairing with a light beer like Fireman's Brew-Blonde!

Firecracker Burger (paired with Fireman's Blonde/lighter beer or lager)

• The Fire Cracker Burger will be paired with the Fireman's Blonde because the burger is spicy and Fireman's Blonde is light so it will be refreshing.

• Description: 6oz patty, melted American cheese, spicy pineapple salsa, topped with frito chips.

Darker beers pair best with bolder dishes!

• Malty beers like our Fireman's Brew Redhead or Brunette pair better with smoked or roasted foods, because they complement the intensity of their flavor:
  • Hamburgers
  • Bratwurst
  • Ribs

Pulled Pork (paired with Fireman's Redhead/ darker beer or ale)

• The BBQ pulled pork will be paired with the Fireman's Brew: Redhead because Chef Dennis used Redhead as an ingredient.
• Description: pork belly is cook on Fireman's Redhead for 6 hours. 6oz patty, BBQ pulled pork topped with habanero cabbage slaw.

"Sumo -sized" Fuku Burger (paired with Fireman's Brunette/ darker malt beer)

• Fuku Burger – also known as "Lucky Burger"
• Pairs awesome with Fireman's Brunette.
• Description: Fuku-patty with American cheese topped with lettuce, tomato, pickled red onions, wasabi mayo and drizzled with Fuku-Sauce.

Stouts and darker beers pair well with desert!

• Stouts or darker beers pair up great with chocolate or rich desserts.
  • You may also want to consider sweetness, bitterness, carbonation, heat (spice), richness and seasonality to get the best food and beer pairings with beers that either complement or contrast the food that you're preparing.
  • And remember; always enjoy your favorite beers like us Firefighters fight fires - Aggressively but Safely.

For more information, check out Fireman's Brew and Fuku Burger.