Food & Beer Culture

What food pairs well with beer from Lombardy? The region's cuisine is buttery and rich, and a dry Pils acts like a breath of fresh air alongside it. The showpiece dish is Cotoletta alla milanese, a breaded veal chop on the bone, fried in butter. The Pils's bitterness cuts through the fat, and its carbonation rinses the palate clean.

Risotto alla milanese with saffron calls for a light beer that won't overpower it. For something heartier, order Casoeula, a winter stew of pork and savoy cabbage—best paired with a bolder beer from the craft shelf. Mondeghili, Milanese meatballs, are a classic osteria dish.

Milan has its own drinking culture: the Aperitivo. In the early evening, a drink comes paired with small bites, and along the Navigli, the city's old canals, crowds gather for just that. Since the foundings of 1996, craft beer has had its place in the lineup too, alongside the classic glass of wine.

In Italy, beer is often ordered in small or medium sizes, listed in many establishments as piccola or media. The brewpubs of Lambrate and Lurago Marinone, by contrast, are gathering places where people linger over a meal.

Sweets have their place in Milan too. Panettone, a tall yeasted cake studded with raisins and candied fruit, originates from the city and graces the table at Christmas. It's not an essential beer pairing, but a malt-forward beer can make a pleasant counterpoint to its sweetness.