A hearty and well balanced soup with lentils, bulgur, and spinach in a tomato base, lightly accented with cumin and coriander seed.  

I feel like there are many potential mates for this soup. Some extra acidity might be nice, matching the aromatics might be interesting, and earthiness is a consideration. But no. I wanted a seamless affinity. A simplicity that just works. Munich Dunkel is just that.  

Why it works?

The soup is earthy, savoury, and balanced. The tomatoes and the dash of red wine vinegar lend a slight acidity and sweetness, the spinach a muted bitterness, the lentils and bulgur an earthiness and slight nuttiness. The subtle aromatics of the coriander and cumin bring it all to life.    

Munich Dunkel is a malt balanced beer. While hints of chocolate and caramel can lurk in the shadows, a rich, toasty, bready malt is front and center. It is a rare soup that doesn’t match beautifully with some nice bread. So there we have it. It seems like cheating. Like It’s too easy. It is too easy, and there is nothing wrong with that. The story isn’t quite finished though.  Remembering this is a heartier soup, it’s not going to do well with a thin and watery beer.  Dunkel’s medium body keeps up. The slight sweetness of the beer compliments the acidity of the soup to change the dynamic slightly, and conversely, the soup’s acidity mutes the beer’s sweetness ever so much and dries out the finish just enough.  

Stay tuned, because I think this dish could have a few more friends.  

A note on the beer–  The Munich Dunkel is a constrained style. All beers and brewers will have their nuances, but unless you find a “ Double Dry-Hopped Munich Dunkel with Brett”, you should be safe. If you feel the need to be extra safe, Hofbräu Dunkel is the beer of choice.