Fat Tire, although tasty was just not the perfect pairing for my annual trek to South Padre
When I first started this website, my goal was to get an education on craft beer and how to cook and pair it with my favorite foods. I never looked at pairing beers with an event, or a special place until I started planning my trip to the beach next summer. Every year for the past 26 years, my family has gone to South Padre Island, TX for a week (my parents and sister’s family stay for 2-weeks) of sun and fun. It is an annual trek that takes precedence over every other event in our lives and it is the one vacation we look forward to most of all.
One thing became perfectly clear this year as I started planning my travel and updating shopping lists is that I have never been on the beach on South Padre Island without a iced-down case of Tecate and a ziplock bag full of freshly cut limes. NEVER in the 26 years!
Even last year when I really got into craft beers and started shunning the normal mass produced lagers, I went back to old habits – drinking my Tecate and lime while sitting under our canopy on the beach, or pitching washers. I went even so far last year as to buy canned Fat Tire to try and make myself drink “better beer”.
Tecate & Lime and South Padre Island is the perfect pairing
After a couple of hours and a few Fat Tires, it just did not feel right (even though I am smiling). I went back to my Tecate and lime and everything in the world was right again. Even my washer pitching improved and actually beat my sister.
This is what pairing beer is all about. It may be a special dinner, a special recipe, or quite possibly a special place that makes great beer pairings – and sometimes it doesn’t even have to preceded by “craft”.
Let me know if you have beer pairing experiences with places as opposed to food!
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