Chicken (or in my case, tofu) Tikka Masala is a dish of debatable origin. “It’s not real Indian food”, some may tell you. “It was invented in Scotland”, others might say.  For a food historian, this might matter. For those of us who want to eat something tasty, it does not. The dish consists of chunks of chicken that have been marinated in yogurt and spices then grilled or roasted, a sauce not unlike a spiced tomato soup with coconut milk, and served with basmati rice. Dunkel Weissbier is a great pairing.

Why it works.

I’m coming at this from three angles. First off, if you opt for a spicier version of this dish, the beer needs to be malt balanced to soothe some of that heat.  A high ABV, or high bitterness beer is just going to make things worse. Secondly, it’s not unusual for naan to be offered alongside.  So we’re once again playing off the whole bread angle. Lastly, let’s think about some flavour melding. The Dunkel versions of Weissbiers tend to lean a bit harder on the clove-like phenols and less so on the banana-like esters. We are matching the clove with the clove in the dish. Simple. 

What about just a classic Weissbier? Tikka Masala is not the most intense of curries, but it’s definitely a step up the ladder from spinach salad, so we need to move the intensity needle up a bit. A less intense beer would just get buried.