One of TV’s most iconic dads, Homer Simpson, is famously known for his love of donuts and beer. And most of us are, too! We love our donuts, we love our beer… but have you ever thought about enjoying the two together?
While most of us think of washing our donuts down with coffee or milk and having wings or pizza with our beer, believe it or not, donuts and beer make a dynamic duo. The malts, yeast, hops and subtle flavor notes in beer complement the super-sweet and sugary flavors you’ll find in most yeast and cake donuts. Don’t believe us? Check out these donut and beer pairings or head out to your local bakery or donut shop, and grab a baker’s dozen, sit down with your favorite brews and conduct a taste test of your own!
Harpoon IPA
What do Boston cream donuts and Harpoon beer have in common, besides both hailing from New England? They also make the ideal food and drink companions. The citrus and hoppy flavors of the IPA balance and smooth out the rich chocolate frosting and thick vanilla custard filling of the donut. A tart, lemon-filled donut is a great partner in crime for the IPA, too.
Evil Genius Trick or Treat
There’s no better way to celebrate the fall season than with the two essential flavors: pumpkin and apple. The notes of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg collide with a delicious chocolate flavor that compliments the sweet glaze on an apple fritter or a rich apple cider donut.
Guinness Draught Stout
This dry, mildly bitter stout is known to pair well with chocolate desserts because of its coffee notes and chocolatey flavor. Enter the chocolate donut. Go for a plain chocolate donut, a cake donut with chocolate frosting or cream filling, or indulge in a triple chocolate donut for complete chocolate nirvana.
Blue Moon Belgian White
The citrus notes from the Valencia orange peel and coriander used to make this medium-bodied, easy-drinking wheat ale tone down the sweetness from the icing on a glazed donut. A lemon-filled donut pairs well with Belgian White, too, for an extra citrus punch. If you want to go for a citrusy trifecta, don’t forget to garnish the beer with the ever-popular orange slice.
Leinenkugel Berry Weiss
This crisp wheat beer gets a little lift from an enticing blend of blackberries, elderberries, and loganberries that are all indigenous to Wisconsin. It makes a great companion to a jelly-filled or frosted strawberry donut. Make sure you have sprinkles on them for a bonus taste!
DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus!
This full-bodied, creamy, chocolate peanut butter porter with strong notes of chocolate, espresso, and peanut butter match perfectly with a chocolate-dipped peanut butter chocolate donut filled with peanut buttercream. Peanut Butter lovers rejoice!
About Kramer Beverage
Kramer Beverage is South Jersey’s largest beer wholesaler, owned and operated by four generations of the Kramer family since 1924. Kramer Beverage is based out of Hammonton, Atlantic County, and services eight counties in southern New Jersey with top brands from MillerCoors, Constellation, Yuengling, Boston Beer, Heineken USA, Pabst, Diageo, FIFCO and more. Kramer Beverage also distributes a wide variety of craft beers, from suppliers such as New Belgium and Sierra Nevada, to local favorites including Flying Fish, Double Nickel, Evil Genius, Glasstown, Sly Fox, and 2SP. For more information on Kramer Beverage, please visit www.kramerbev.com.