Drinks for summer seafood

Think fresh, sour and light

Few things are worse in the summer heat than a flavourless beer or a flat wine combined with a heavy meal. That is why two of the most important things a drink should provide for this season are freshness and acidity. Without freshness in the beer and some acidity in the wine, our accompanying drinks will taste flat when combined with for example, the lemon juice that we drizzle over our seafood or the sour cream and cucumber salad that is served with grilled fish. In addition, meals can also feel heavy if we are eating a fatty fish like mackerel or eating potatoes with melted butter for example. In these cases, the freshness of the drink will help to lighten the meal. This freshness is predominantly found in light beers, white wines, sparkling wines and rosé. The light colours of these wines match nicely with the colourful meals that are usually served. You will find some good tips below, regardless of whether you choose beer or wine.

Natural seafood

In summertime in Norway, seafood is usually served in form of a shellfish platter, crabs, crayfish and shrimps on bread. These are cold and relatively light meals that are matched perfectly with a drink that shares the same attributes.

Beer

Pilsner is obviously a classic for these meals, and for many good reasons. The mild and light dishes work perfectly with a mild and light beer. In addition, pilsners offer high freshness and bitterness that harmonize with the salty notes from the seafood.

If you think pilsners are a bit boring, you can try other styles like: Weissbier, Kölsch, Blonde and Berliner Weisse. All these styles are top-fermented beers, which means that they get sensational fruit aromas from the fermentation itself. At the same time, these beers have a moderate body and good freshness. Weissbier is probably the most fruit-driven and has low bitterness; Kölsch displays more hop aroma and bitterness; while Blonde has more complexity thanks to the Belgian yeast. Berliner Weisse is a sour beer and, therefore, the freshest option.

Wine

Chablis, Sancerre and Riesling are popular choices for this kind of food. All of these styles have in common a high acidity that works very well with the lemon that we often squeeze over our seafood dishes. In reasonable priced offerings, a lot of these wines tend to be light bodied, something that matches the lightness of the dishes perfectly. Chablis is dominated with citrus notes and minerality that work tremendously well with oysters, while Sancerre is more aromatic and has green hints that fuse marvellously with the dill from the shrimps. While Chablis and Sancerre are always dry, Riesling can be found in different levels of sweetness. This gives the possibility to choose wines with a little residual sweetness after the fermentation to help balance the salty notes that lots of seafood has.

Are you looking for something a little unconventional? Try Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine as alternative to Chablis or a light Alvarinho instead of Riesling. Both styles are fresh and have maritime coastal attributes. Muscadet has a more neutral taste, while Alvarinho is usually impregnated with fruits and flowers.

Light and fresh rosé made from Pinot Noir, like Sancerre Rosé, is another great alternative, that in addition, will create a colour explosion combined with all the different colours the bounty of the sea has to offer.

Grilled/fried seafood

Grilled or fried seafood can be anything from fish stuffed with herbs and lemon and served with potatoes, sour cream and cucumber salad to lobster gratin. In any case, the food tastes better because it is served hot and because the frying/grilling crust leaves its mark on it. This should also be reflected in the drink.

Beer

For fried or grilled seafood, it can be good to have a little more flavour and colour in the beer. At the same time, it is of course important that the beer is fresh to match the fat in oily fish such as mackerel and accompaniments such as sour cream or butter. American Pale or Amber Ales are good alternatives. The beers have good freshness that can balance the fat and acid in the roe and cucumber salad. At the same time, they have an intense aroma of American hops and notes of toasted or caramelized malt. The latter can match the flavour of roast or barbecue crust, while American hops can be slightly lemony and herbal in aroma, which is perfect for cucumber salad or if the fish is stuffed with lemon and herbs.

Wine

For dishes such as grilled/fried fish stuffed with herbs and lemon and served with potatoes, sour cream and cucumber salad, aromatic wines with a little body will go well. As usual, the wines should have some acidity that balances out the fat in the roe and matches the acidity in the cucumber salad. If there is also some sweetness in the cucumber salad, this should be reflected in the wine, as otherwise it will quickly be thrown out of balance and become sour in taste. Slightly lavish and full-bodied versions of Riesling can, in addition to acidity and flavour, sometimes offer a little extra residual sweetness. If the cucumber salad is not of the sweet variety, wines with some vegetal notes can create exciting bridges to the food. A Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is a good example. If you want Rosé wine, Schilcher from Austria can be an exciting alternative.

For shellfish such as lobster gratin with herb butter or cheese, fullness in the wine is all the more important. A slightly bold and barrel-aged Chardonnay, for example from Burgundy, will be a classic accompaniment. Other exciting options are white Graves or Pessac-Leognan. Here you often get fullness and barrel character in addition to some vegetal notes that can work well if the lobster is gratin with herb butter. If you want bubbles in the glass, fuller sparkling wines such as Champagne, Franciacorta and Trento are good alternatives.