The Spirit World

The “he” in question is Sam Calagione, a craft brewer and founder of Dogfish Brewery, which sells more than a million six-packs annually of its “off-centered ales for off-centered people.” The “she” is Marnie Old, an oft-quoted sommelier and director of wine studies at French Culinary Institute in New York City. Their book, the illustrated He Said Beer, She Said Wine (DK, $25), is designed to instruct readers on how to pair both beer and wine with a range of foods. Of course, this conceit works on a larger level, to support the supposedly universal argument between men and women about the gender breakdown of beer and wine preferences.

In fact, the book was borne out of the pair’s friendship and spirited debates about the matter, including a “competitive dinner” at Dogfish’s brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. They dubbed the dinner “Beer is From Mars, Wine is From Venus” and sought to settle the score for once and for all. However, the votes were neck and neck each successive time they held such gatherings. The bottom line will come as no surprise to anyone who buys craft beers or follows the trends in wine regions: beer and wine can be equally complex and neither is as simple or elitist, respectively, as one might think.

The first section provides each author’s argument for why his or her libation of choice is better. Old touts the extensive classification systems for wine and the fact that it pairs well (and is meant to) with food, whereas Calagione argues that beer is more approachable, more democratic. (I’d agree with him, and add another point: you can even brew it yourself with the right tools and ingredients, and I’ve got bottles gently carbonating to prove it.)

The wine primer chapter includes wine style profiles and a helpful illustration that shows the “anatomy of a wine label,” for both old world regional labeling and new world varietal labeling. Calagione takes a similar approach to explaining beer, reminding people that although it only has a few ingredients, it lends itself to endless experimention and variety. He, too, takes an old vs. new slant to the conversation, with a swift, insightful overview of the explosion of the craft brewing industry in the past ten years.

One asset of this book is its specificity. In the successive chapters, they recommend specific wines or beers for a handful of dishes in each category.

With warmer months on the way, I especially liked the guidance they provided for vegetables - what to drink with a green salad, eggplant parmesan, tomato salad. It makes intuitive sense that Old suggests a Spanish Albarino for a green salad (with New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs coming in for a substitution if need be), due to its shared green, acidic accents. It also seems smart that Calagione picks an Allagash White to accompany astringent, garlicky spinach because the beer will harmonize “rather than compete.” Other chapters include sandwiches (where is the grilled cheese?), pizza & pasta, spicy food, and an array of meats, poultry, fish, and shellfish. As an avid baker, I’m pleased to see two separate sections on fruit desserts such as cobblers, pies, and not-so-fruity desserts such as chocolate cake, cheesecake, and chocolate chip cookies –tawny port, anyone?

At the end of each guided pairing suggestion, the two go head-to-head, complete with somewhat goofy photographs of them looking quasi-adversarial, and square off. Beer wins with spicy foods (no surprise there) and wine is the victor (also no surprise) with pasta and pizza. If you want to stage your own contest at home, the authors detail a plan of action at the book’s end, complete with twelve recipes to test, from confit to cake, along with recommended beverages. The next logical step for these two is to write an entire cookbook like this, as the recipes look promising.

So, what do I say? The book is a welcome addition to any beer or wine lover’s library. It’s easy to navigate and full of useful information nicely situated between guiding the complete novice and those who think they already know better. In other words, it’s great for those with open, curious minds (and mouths), and adventurous approaches to eating and drinking.