An Italian meal of pasta with rich Bolognese sauce and garlic bread can be delicious, but add a glass of ruby red Chianti and it becomes "magnifico." The medium-bodied, dry wine has tart cherry aromas and flavors that enhance the taste and enjoyment of the meal, just as a white German Riesling does for fish or a RhÃ'ne red can do for a dark chocolate anything. But that's wine. Did you know you can do the same kind of food pairings with beer?

"Beer can do everything wine can do and then some," says John Bryan, president of Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City. "There are so many different styles of beer and such a broad range of flavors, you can find something that works with most any dish."

Boulevard Brewery is one of a growing number of micro or craft breweries in the United States and the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. The brewery has been invited to pair its best beers with a multi-course dinner including dessert, prepared by chef Jonathan Justus and staff of Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Mo. It will be held later this month as a fundraiser for the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in St. Joseph (see box below).

"They (Boulevard Brewing) see their beer as being the 'other drink,' so to speak," says Karen Foley, organizer of the event. "Not just the thing you drink on a hot afternoon, or a redneck thing, or anything like that, but as something that should be enjoyed with courses and with food."

In Europe, pairing beer with meals has been a tradition, Mr. Bryan says. But in the United States, at least until recently, beer was considered more of a one-dimensional, working class beverage - something that guys drink after work. Choices were limited, as well. In the early 1980s, there were only 44 breweries making "primarily a mass-produced commodity with no character or tradition," according to beer town.org.

But then the American brewing revival began. Now there are close to 1,500 craft breweries, such as the Boulevard, offering as many varieties as you would find in wine.

"There's a whole world of beers," Mr. Bryan says. "You can roast grains, roast flavors. There's fruit beers, multi-sweet, bitter and flavors that wine typically doesn't have."

Boulevard's Smokestack series even comes in wine-like bottles with a wire and cage enclosure like what's used with champagne. The 750 ml bottle is too large to drink from, so it must be poured into a glass. (Mr. Bryan says all beers actually taste better in a glass. He prefers a pinot noir glass.)

Drinking beer with your meal has been proven to have similar health benefits as wine. But don't go the route of trying to pair light beers with food, Mr. Justus says. You lose the depth of flavor and taste, he says. It's better to just drink less.

"I have a real problem with light beers in general," Mr. Justus says. "The next thing I worry about will be a light wine. How much less flavor can you put into something?"

When you pair beer with food, it's a balancing act of the strength, sweetness and bitterness, Mr. Bryan says. Just like wine, you can either choose a beer with similar qualities, such as a wheat beer with pasta or a brown beer with steak. Or go for contrasting flavors, such as a sweet beer with a salty dish. Like wine, there are some classic matches, such as schnitzel with pale lager, but it's really a matter of personal taste. And as with all things, practice makes perfect.

Lifestyles reporter Sylvia Anderson may be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com

Beer pairing

dinner with

Jonathan Justus

See for yourself how beer can enhance your meal at a fundraiser for the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art starting at 6 p.m. Sept. 28. Beers from Boulevard Brewing company will be paired with a multi-course gourmet dinner prepared by Jonathan Justus and staff of the Justus Drugstore restaurant in Smithville, Mo. Limited seating available. Call 233-7003 ext. 10 or e-mail frontdesk@albrecht-kemper.org for reservations. Tickets are $65 per person.