Food & Beer Culture

What food pairs with beer in New York? Whatever the city serves on the street and in its restaurants: pretzels, pizza, hot dogs, pastrami. The soft pretzel arrived with German immigrants, the hot dog found its famous home on Coney Island, and pairing either with a lager is simply everyday life.

Buffalo wings come from the western part of the state. According to legend, they were invented in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo. The spicy sauce and richness call for a beer with carbonation and little sweetness—something like a Vienna lager.

The beer halls of Little Germany are gone, but the habit isn't. Order a saison from Ommegang and you'll find it pairs well with cheese or poultry. The dubbel suits roasts and chocolate desserts.

Prohibition ended the open beer culture in 1920. Beer didn't return to bars until 1933, initially at low alcohol strength. Today, Brooklyn has breweries with taprooms, and Cooperstown hosts festivals like "Belgium Comes to Cooperstown."

Standard sizes include the pint at 473 milliliters and the growler, a jug of about 1.9 liters for takeaway. The pitcher, a jug for the table, is as much a bar fixture as the counter itself.

The legal drinking age in the US is 21, so bars and restaurants routinely ask for ID. Tipping at the bar is also simply part of the culture there. For anyone who'd rather skip the beer, most brewery taprooms also offer non-alcoholic options.