Beers with its sweet, toasty, malty or nutty taste can add depth to dishes from Breakfast to Snacks, Desserts and Main dishes. . And don't worry about getting drunk - virtually all of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process. These dishes will have your guests wondering what the secret ingredient is (and coming back for more!). Different beers pair well with different foods, so it's important to learn the taste differences before you hit the kitchen. Beer can be divided into two main groups: ales and lagers. Ale, the original beer, is brewed in a way that results in fruity, earthy flavours. Lagers make use of more modern brewing systems to be lighter and drier. Each type of beer has a distinctly different flavour that pairs well with certain foods. Below, you'll find a breakdown of several common types and some recipes that use each one. Wheat Beers Wheat beers are pale, often unfiltered (thus cloudy), and have fruity, mellow, crisp-edged flavours, well-matched for salads and fish. Pale Ale and Bitter Its crispness cuts beautifully through rich, fatty meats like game. Pale ale is stronger, with more bracing carbonation, and goes well with everything from bread and cheese to fish and chips. Porter It's less toasty than stout and less bitter than pale ale, and it picks up the flavours in stews especially well. Stout Stout brings out the flavours in everything from shellfish to stews. Because of its distinct coffee and chocolate notes, it's also perfect for blending into rich desserts.