Wiseacre Tarasque Saison + Spicy Peanut Noodles

Give it to me, baby (give it to me)! 

I don't have pasta often, so when I do, I go big. I saw this recipe on my favorite blog A Beautiful Mess and instantly knew I had to try it. It's one of those recipes you find in the morning and then think about it ALL DAY LONG. I actually had almost everything on hand except for the bell pepper and scallions, so I added shrimp and pepitas. Oh, and KALE. Boom. Superfood. That makes all the pasta and peanut butter consumption not so bad on the caloric meter, right? 

This dish was rich, creamy, spicy, sweet with a little crunch and slight earthiness from the kale and nuts. 

Therefore, my beer of choice for this meal was Wiseacre Tarasque Saison! This beer is medium body with flavors of peppercorn, orange peel, saltine and a little bit of funk. 

The sweetness from the notes of orange peel and the malt plus the funk complemented the many layers of this dish while the spicy elements of the beer were balanced out by the rich sauce. The carbonation and zip from a nice dose of bittering hops help cut thru the peanut sauce.

I'll be honest: my initial idea for this pairing was an IPA. But that's too obvious. When in doubt, IPA always seems to be my go-to. But when I remembered this Saison, I had to try it. Saisons are interesting...I've never had the same style twice. But, that's the beauty of it. Life is like a case of Saisons....you never know which one you're going to get. Cheers! -L