Rolling Rock and caviar? "I always shock people when I do that," says beverage and food expert David Rosengarten. "It's great, it's my favorite drink with caviar." Yes, folks, it's not just for fraternity parties and baseball games anymore. Beer is as versatile and sophisticated as wine, and pairing beer with food is as much of an art--and perhaps more fun. Unlike with wine, there aren't any strict rules about what goes with what. It's up to you to experiment and decide what you like, and you may be surprised at what you find. So in honor of Oktoberfest, leave that bottle of Chardonnay in the cellar and pop the top of your favorite brew instead.

Here are six complementary beer and food recommendations:

Lindemans Framboise
This raspberry-flavored Belgian lambic is a "great beer as an aperitif" that marries well with salty or fried hors d'oeuvres, such as prosciutto. A lambic is a mixed-grain beer containing about 30 percent wheat. It has been spontaneously fermented with "wild" yeast, which makes for a light, graceful beer that Belgian brewers often enhance with various fruit flavors. Rosengarten suggests lambic beers before dinner-served in champagne flutes -- their dry crispness makes them ideal for pairing with many foods.

Bruschetta di Prosciutto

Hoegaarden
Something light, acidic and spicy -- such as ceviche -- best accompanies this wheat beer. Made from wheat malt, wheat beers contain about 30 to 50 percent wheat. The yeast used in brewing wheat beer lends a spicy, appley flavor and tends to settle at the bottom of the bottle. When serving a wheat beer, pour it in one motion, stopping just before the yeast escapes into your glass. Use a tall glass that can accommodate the contents of an entire bottle.

Scallop Ceviche

Atlantic Amber
This rich, English-style ale pairs nicely with Belgian beef stew, such as carbonade flamande, which includes beer, onions and brown sugar. With a subtle balance of fruit, sweetness and bitterness, a good English-style ale is a refreshing accompaniment to hearty dishes.

Carbonade Flamande

Pilsner Urquell
For this Czech/Bavarian-style lager, try choucroute garni--a hearty Alsatian dish of sauerkraut and sausage. Lager, which is fermented differently from ale and needs to age after brewing, has a clean, mellow flavor tempered by the bracing bitterness of hops. It stands up well against fatty foods, such as goose, duck and corned beef.

Choucroute Garni

Rolling Rock
Believe it or not, Rolling Rock--a light domestic (and inexpensive) beer--is perfectly refreshing with caviar. Rosengarten advises freezing a tall shot glass, filling it with about two ounces of beer, and pairing it with a scoop of caviar. The key with caviar is to find a beer that's "not too heavy, not too flavorful," he says, adding that it's common to drink beer with caviar in Russia.

Caviar Plate

Mackeson Stout
This sweet, dark beer with hints of chocolate and coffee is good as a dessert drink or with strong cheese. Try pairing it with an Alsatian muenster; or try it with desserts that are not too sweet. Ones with chocolate, nuts or caramel are good matches.

Emeril's Macadamia Nut Chews