I like to drink a cold beer when enjoying some fine jerky. But with so many varieties of jerky, and so many varieties of beer, there are some good pairings, and bad ones. Here’s a guide if you’d like to find a good beer to wash down some jerky…

1. Stick to the ales – All beers fall into two categories, Ales and Lagers. Most all of the mass-market brands (Budweiser, Miller, Coors, et al) are lagers. Ales are typically seen in the microbrews and specialty brands, and tend to give you better flavor, and more body. Look at the label for the word “ale”, if you don’t see it, there’s a good chance it’s a lager.
2. If in doubt, go with a brown ale – The Brown Ale is one variety of ale that seems to do a good job of pairing up with most jerky in general. It doesn’t seem to have any ingredients that clash with the meat flavors, black pepper, garlic, and other typical jerky ingredients.
3. India Pale Ale (IPA) – The IPA is largely a standard pale ale that is heavy on the hops, and produces a strong bitter flavor. Not everyone likes an IPA due that bitter flavor, but if you happen to love IPAs, try one with a BBQ-sauced jerky, one that has been marinated or coated in a thick sweet barbecue sauce. The bitter hopped IPA contrasts well with that thick sweet BBQ flavor.
4. Pale Ales (Kolsch, Cream Ales, Blonde Ales) – The most common of the ales, with their light color and balanced flavor, tends to go well with jerky that has a strong smoky flavor, or a jerky that claims to have been naturally smoked. The lighter flavor of the pale ale will allow jerky’s smokiness to come out better.
5. Lambics – Historically the lambic is a type of beer made from fruit, but doesn’t necessarily taste like fruit. But today, most all lambics have a fruit flavor added to it, typically cherry, raspberry, blueberry, or peach. These beers are great with jerky containing no sugar, or jerky with a strong vinegar flavor.
6. Porters and Stouts – These two varieties of ales are the darkest of beers, with a strong smoky flavor, due to the use of burnt malt, and often very full bodied. That burnt flavor tends to work well with tangy jerky ingredients, such as vinegar, lemon, lime, tomato paste, hot sauces. Jerky varieties like “lemon pepper”, “jalapeno”, or “chile & lime”, often go well with the dark beers.
7. Red Ales – I like red ales with teriyaki jerky. A good red ale should have a moderate amount of sweet, and a moderate amount of hops, which I think pairs up well with a heavily sweet teriyaki jerky.

Of course your palate will vary. Experiment with various brands and varieties of beer, and find one that refreshes your mouth, compliments the flavor of the jerky, but still provides enough of a contrast so that you can appreciate both the beer and the jerky.