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Beer pairing: Butternut Squash Soup
An easy festive soup and the perfect beer to pair it with
Joseph Lavoie
December 06, 2022
Good Morning!
With this being our final beer pairing edition of the year, we found ourselves struggling on what to feature. With many of you planning some kind of holiday dinner, the obvious choice would have been to include a recipe. But we did turkey in October for Thanksgiving, so we decided to mix it up a touch. If you're planning on turkey, check out the pairing we recommended then. It'll work just as well this time of year.
So what if you don't have turkey in your plans, or want to augment your meal with another dish, or simply enjoy something warm and hearty at this time of year? You really can't go wrong with a butternut squash soup.
As we've done with our recipes to date, we're keeping this one ridiculously simple so you can spend more time enjoying the beer pairing and less time in the kitchen. The best part? The ideal beer pairing for this rich and creamy soup? None other than BC's favourite beer style, IPA.
— Joseph Lavoie
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The Dish
We're keeping the ingredients minimal—a good butternut squash soup doesn't need much. The key is roasting it, and putting the butter to good use.
Ingredients
Serves 8
1 large butternut squash sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
1 tsp olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Place the butternut squash halves on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and rub with the olive oil to coat them evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, placing the halves face down on the parchment paper and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, scoop out the squash flesh and transfer to a large soup pot. Add the butter, nutmeg, and enough water to cover it all (about 3 cups). Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Transfer the mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve in warm bowls and tuck in with our recommended beer, below.
The Beer
With the soup being as velvety, buttery, and rich as it is, we've opted to pair it with a beer that will cut that richness. This is where a good West Coast IPA does the trick. A West Coastie has enough bitterness to contrast with the soup, with pine flavours bringing out the woodsy flavours that mark this time of year.
On this occasion, we've chosen Yellow Dog's Play Dead IPA. It pours a beautiful copper colour with a head that sustains, releasing loads of aroma. You'll get bitter citrus and resin in the nose—the type of old-school IPA notes that may take you on a nostalgic run. Your taste buds will get treated with a very assertive hop bitterness that quickly gives way to grapefruit pith, which then gives way to a caramel backbone. The semi-sweet finish will work well with the butternut squash soup.
20 New beers released last week
Last week breweries released more than 20 beers, and we brought out the full list. Among them:
A birthday cake IPA, literally made with birthday cake
Another beer made with OREO cookies
And a porter made with salted caramel
Upcoming Events
🎁 Silver Valley continues with the Christmas spirit, hosting a Christmas Craft Night on tonight. Get tickets.
🍽️ Driftwood is putting on another beer dinner with Rock Bay Market, on December 7. Limited tickets available.
🌃 Strange Fellows is hosting Krampusmarket on December 9, an old-world inspired winter market to bring merry lightness and goodwill to the darkest days of the year. Get tickets.
🦌 Locality Brewing is offering finger foods and super Christmas flights of beer on December 9, 10, and 11. Get tickets.
💥 Ace Brewing is hosting a Marvel vs DC Trivia Night on December 15. Kids welcome.
🧘 Patina Brewing is hosting a mindful beer tasting yoga class monthly on Saturdays. The next sessions are on December 17, January 28, February 18, and March 11. Container Brewing is also offering Beer Yoga sessions on January 15 and February 25.