I was born during the glory days of green bean casserole, pasta primavera, and Jello salad. The options for beer pairing would be nothing more sophisticated than the food itself: Highlife, Schlitz, or Schmidt’s.

It wasn’t until the early 80’s that craft beer entered the market with the likes of Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada, followed by Bell’s Brewing a bit later, selling their first beer in 1985. Finally, there was flavor, real flavor. Citrusy hops. Vegetal notes. Caramel Malt, which happens to enhance the caramelized onions on a burger.

We’ve come a long way, with the U.S. now boasting 1,599 craft breweries*. Green bean casserole has been traded for stuffed zucchini flowers, pasta primavera has given way to pappardelle with rabbit ragout, and the gelatinous desserts of yesteryear have received 2010 updates. But what’s more is the change in what we drink with our food. We’ve finally realized that not only does wine pair perfectly with food, but so can beer.

In Philly, Tom Peters of Monks Inn has been throwing beer dinners for the non-winos since the 90’s. And we’re not talking Bud and a burger; his holiday dinner boasts eight courses. Such meals aren’t just about taste – they’re about appreciation. A local omnivore recently told that me he’d never appreciated the geuze style of lambic Belgian beer until Peters had him try it with a steaming bowl of mussels.

Beer and food pairing is also about experimentation. Iron Chef, José Garces, has been hosting dinners Amada and Chifa since last year. For his Dogfish Head menu in April, the kitchen paired a chocolate ganache, roasted coconut custard and coffee cream with Dogfish’s Theobroma, a chocolate beer brewed with Aztec cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, honey, chiles and annatto. This wasn’t just any sweet ending that so many desire; it was as thought provoking as it was belly-busting.

Some bar owners and chefs are getting quite creative. Nodding Head proprietor, Curt Decker, is working on a “potato chip and craft beer” pairing. Decker explains, “Beer and potato chips have probably been consumed together since they’ve both been in existence. With all the different flavors and styles of chips today, it only seems natural to pair them with beer as you would any other tastes…and believe me, you’ll never see a wine and potato chip pairing.” He got me thinking: Old Bay and a Pils? Salt and Pepper with a saison?

It’s universal that a spritzy beer is going to slice into any cheese, which is the top reason why beer and cheese are so well suited. The bottle-conditioned effervescence of a saison, for example, cuts perfectly into the creaminess of goat cheese. Rich, aged goudas are splendid with a brown ale like Sam Smith’s out of England, or Dogfish Head’s experimental Palo Santo Marron, a brown ale that’s been aged in the thickest wood in the world from Paraguay. The salty, nuttiness of the gouda is perfectly complemented by the caramelized complexity of the Palo Santo, just as caramel or sea salt can bring out the complexities of chocolate.

Ladies’ eyes always pop when I enlighten them with the concept of beer and dessert. The two share a lot of characteristics, whether it’s a tropical crème brulée paired with a pineapple-accented Belgian Tripel or a bread pudding with notes of toffee and caramel complemented by a Belgian dubbel.

It’s all about washing down that perfect forkful with a perfect sip. A pair that complements or contrasts, yet balances. That duo transcends the dining table and defines harmony better than Merrian-Webster.

Here’s a little help:

-Diners should move from lighter to heavier dishes, and thus lighter to heavier beers as the evening (or lunch) progresses.

-It can be as simple as matching color with color. I had a lovely Lamb Kofta at Kanella (10th and Spruce) that I paired with an Ommegang Abbey Ale, both beer and meal date-colored. The yeast strain imparted a spiciness that complemented the Greek dish perfectly.

-Match potency with potency. A delicate fish will never hold up against a burly barley wine. Such a strong pour, however, could be handled by a stinky Stilton cheese or a rich, bittersweet chocolate ganache. The delicate fish, instead, would instead be better paired with a delicate Kolsch.

-Make one of two things happen: contrast or complement. I recently concocted a stout ice cream and added chocolate covered espresso beans; the roastiness of the stout was complemented by the roastiness of beans. At the same time, I could have topped the stout ice cream with a contrasting fruit sauce, such as blueberry, for a completely different, but equally enjoyable combination. You can beat the heat of a dish, like Szechwan “twice-cooked pork” with a sweet, malty beer like a dunkel lager. But if the spice is what you like, you can opt for something hoppy like an India Pale Ale that will further enhance the dish’s heat.

*According to Brewer’s Association stats as of July 31, 2010.

 Visit Suzanne Wood's website at http://www.beerlass.com/.

Article photograph from your idea via Flickr (Creative Commons), "The Brew" photograph from Flickmor via Flickr (Creative Commons), "Bottle" photograph from istockphoto.com