I’m not a rule guy when it comes to pairing food and beverage. But there are some helpful guidelines to navigating a satisfying combo.

What grows together, goes together. Mario Batalli is credited for this wisdom I like to use when contemplating regional cuisines and which wines are best suited for pairing. It also works if you apply this methodology to beer.

Take the hearty cuisine of Bavaria and the Bavarian-style brews they like to cozy up to. Bratwursts and helles, or pale, lager-style beer, are typically offered together, since brats are the fairest of the sausage family. Weizenbier is another common pairing. In the weiss, or wheat, style, it, too, doesn’t challenge the food for control of flavor. How about throwing in some mustard and braised cabbage? It’s all within the genome of these styles of beer to cohabitate with this old-world fare.

Belgium has all but declared beer their national beverage. It’s taken with all meals and cooked with in just about every national dish. Hundreds of years ago, the monks of Belgium began brewing beer, distilling liqueurs, and even making cheese. (They had a lot of time on their hands.) Multiple flavors and ingredients are still used in the Abbey and Trappist styles today, while fruits provide the unique flavor of lambic brews. And, since many of their beers are brewed with spices, herbs and aromatics, Belgian beers are naturally well suited to pairing with indigenous foods, such as stews, charcuterie and seafood.
Yet, with the hundreds of new craft-style and extreme brews made in the United States today, the rules of engagement are subject to change. Try using these few rules of thumb when dealing with a beer-and-food pairing that remains untried.

Alcohol content plays a huge part in the many styles of beers on the market. A little beer math: The average alcohol content on a bottle of wine is 12.5 percent. A 750-ml. bottle is 25.5 oz., the equivalent of just over two long necks. Drink two Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPAs at 9 percent ABV, for example, and most of us are toast. That doesn’t mean it’s a poor choice for your steak, but if the aim is to feel satisfied but not full, shoot for a pairing guided by the rules we used in Bavaria.

Style. Guinness Stout is one of the most beloved beers in the world.  Envision a smoky, peaty pub in the hills of Ireland or the dark taverns of New York with a bowl of lamb stew, lentils, potatoes, cabbage, and Guinness. The rich, creamy style is perfectly suited for cold-weather cuisine. Conversely, we slam a frosty Pacifico pilsner-like cerveza with our enchiladas because it slakes our thirst and doesn’t fill us up.

The Three Cs: Does it cut, contrast, or complement? This philosophy asks you to question whether your choice aids the pairing by cutting an inherent richness of a dish. (A hoppy or lighter-style beer would seem to be a wise choice here.) A stark contrast can be reached by using the same reasoning we applied to Mexican food for Thai and Chinese cuisine. And a complement would be any brew that imitates or enhances the combined components of a dish.

Lastly, method of preparation can dictate your choices, too. Chillin’ and grillin’? Lighten it up. Braising or stewing? Go bold or go home. Doing some frying? Fresh and clean is worth trying.

Rules are meant to be broken, however, and taste is personal. Trust your instincts and drink what you like, and you’ll always come out a giddy gastronome.