Beer and Food Pairings for Summer

Is there a better match than hot days and cold beers? Here, we've rounded up our favorite summer foods along with what beer best suits the moment.

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Beer and Food Pairings for Summer

Tomato Beer/Red Rooster

Bobby Flay's Tomato Beer/Red Rooster

Photo by: Bobby Flay ©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Bobby Flay, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Bobby Flay's Tomato Beer/Red Rooster

Eating a fish taco at the beach: Mexican lager in a tallboy, doctored up with a squeeze of lime and a drop of hot sauce. Try Rachael's grilled fish tacos.

Sitting on the porch with a hot dog on a hot day: Light, crisp German kolsch — super-refreshing, easy-to-drink and low-alcohol. Pick from 35 top hot dogs.

Hamburgers from the grill in your best friend's backyard: Full-bodied lager if it's a hot day, brown ale if it's a cool night. Browse more than 50 burger recipe favorites.

Cherry pie from a roadside stand: Stout. The darker the better. Trust us on this one. (And if you're having pie and stout at a roadside stand, make someone else drive.) Or, make Sandra's cherry pie at home.

Cheese and crackers at a movie in the park: Something indulgent and Belgian, like a fruity saison or a lush blonde ale. Also serve Bobby's blue cheese crostini.

Grilled sausage mid-afternoon at a beer garden: Something malty and Germanic, served in a mug large enough to make your wrist hurt. Bobby's grilled sweet and hot sausages will do the trick.

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