The kitchen
The kitchen evolves around the beer at Nørrebro Bryghus. It is used as a source of inspiration, as an ingredient, as a spice and finally as an invariable part of the meal. A 100% dedicated beer kitchen, inspired from the traditional Nordic kitchen, but far from the conventional beer-food. Nørrebro Bryghus is a modern kitchen in the better end. It is the refined and continuing challenge of the facets in the beer and the respect for the fundamental gastronomic rules – the balance between the taste impression and the feeling in the mouth, which has given the kitchen at Nørrebro Bryghus its own identity. It simply does not resemble any other kitchen in the world.

The beer-kitchen – here meaning Nørrebro Bryghus – differentiates itself from the wine-kitchen by being able to freely use the elements sour, sweet, salt and smoked. These elements fit perfectly to the many facets of beer, which wine lacks.

The character of beer

The different taste in beer is determined by a number of basic elements like yeast, aromatic hop and other spices.

Fruity, flowery and spicy aromas, come from yeast and the use of aromatic hops and other spices.

Corn-, Bread-, Malt-, caramel- and darker aromas, come from malt all depending on how it has been prepared. Especially the temperature and the length of roasting, has an influence on the taste.

The remaining Sweetness comes from malt or from added “sweetness”. The presence of the remaining sweetness varies from a small hint in a normal lager to an almost insisting sweetness in a Barley Wine or a strong Trappist beer.

The Sourness is in most beers rather discreet. But a very necessary balancing factor in connection with the rest of the elements in beer. In beers such as Geuze/Lambic, fruit-beer, Saison and in many wheat beers the sourness is an inevitable element and often very prevailing.

The Bitterness is often the most important element. It can vary in its character: soft bitterness in e.g. Belgian ales, South-German Märzen and Bock beer to a sharp bitterness in e.g. North-German lagers. Bitterness also varies in strength: from almost nothing in a Belgian Witbier, fruit-beer or English Bitters to the very intense in American Imperial IPAs. The bitterness is determined by the hop: the type, the amount, when it is added in the brewing process, the strength of the beer and the influence from other tasting elements.

The Carbon Dioxide is an odd element. It has no taste in itself, but because of its release in the mouth, when drinking the beer, it is crucial for how all the aromatic elements are experienced.

The Alcohol can actually be tasted in very strong beer (7%-8% alcohol), but in lighter beer it is rather discreet yet essential for the sensation of fullness and reinforces other aromatic components.

Beer in the Kitchen

At Nørrebro Bryghus we use the beer as liquid, taste and spice in soups, desserts, sauces and in stews. The bitterness in the beer is well balanced by the sweetness and fat and gives new possibilities for contrasts in food.

The qualities of beer are especially clear when cooking or roasting meat like: shank, shoulder, breast and tail. It can also be used as a basis for marinating meats and fat fish. The beer brings taste to the meat and deduces fat from the fat fish. And last but not least it provides an excellent sauce.

The beer is also use for replacing some or all of the water when making dough for bread. The beer brings a taste of corn, which gives the bread more depth and complexity and has a good effect on the raising. Waffles, pancakes and beignets become more crisp and aromatic, when beer is added to the dough.

Serving Beer with the Food

The carbon dioxide, the bitterness, the remaining sweetness and the alcohol are four determining qualities when beer accompanies food.

The carbonic dioxide is refreshing and cleans the taste buds and the mouth after having encountered powerful foods such as eggs, cheeses, vigorous meats, fat fish and strong sauces.

The Bitterness in the beer stimulates the appetite and plays well against the fat in the food. The bitterness clears the throat after vigorous sauces, pesto and oil marinated foods.

The natural remaining sweetness makes the beer very eligible to accompany dishes from Asia and North Africa. Also the Nordic Christmas dishes, canard a l’orange and many other dishes from the classic French kitchen.

The alcohol, strengthens the taste sensation and cleans the mouth from fat.

There are a number of exceptions, but most of the beer we serve is approximately ´the % of alcohol + 3 degrees`. If the beer is too sweet or too full for the food it is a good idea to cool it down. If the opposite is the case serving the beer a few degrees warmer can help.

We are convinced that there is, for each dish in the world, a beer that matches it. Both beer and food reach another level when the two match, a level that cannot be reached when enjoyed separately.

As a main rule we serve light beers for light dishes and darker beer for heavier dishes, sour beers to sour dishes and beers with a certain amount of sweetness for sweet or hot dishes.

Beer and food do not have to resemble one or another to be a good match. But it is a necessity that one or more aromas should be alike and present in both dishes. Oysters and porter is a good and well-known example. Emmentaler and IPA is another.

Just like wine, beer offers contrasts in relation to the food: bitter beers for fat dishes, sweet beers to salty dishes and so forth. Because most of the food we enjoy is grilled, beer with roasted aromas is a good match and brings out a harmonic experience.

Most of the beer menus we serve in the restaurant are made in a way so the intensity of the beer rises from beer to beer. In that way we avoid that the last served beer is too light and lacking aromas.