Pizza and beer, hotdogs and beer, burgers and beer. A professor wants beer aficionados to expand their beer food-pairings beyond just the regular backyard fare and use his simple guide, which he says is based on just three basic principles, to pair any meal with the perfect brew.

John Peter Laloganes is the principal lead for Kendall College's Beverage Management concentration. He helped lead the research put into an easy-to-follow, yet detailed infograph on how to pair food and beer together.

According to the infograph, the three basic principles are simply:

Balance the weights

This means that if the body of the beer is rich and dark, pair it with flavorful, heavy meals like roasted meats, chilies, and barbecues. Meanwhile lighter beer goes well with salads, lean poultry, and seafood.

Compare and Contrast the Components

This means know your beers - the ingredients used to brew it and its main flavor. For example, sweet malt beers contrast well with foods that are spicy, sour, or bitter. But they are complemented by food that matches its sweetness.

According to the graph, this can take a bit of experimenting to find the right harmony but that's the best part about beer drinking and food pairing.

Bridge the Flavors

And finally, use your nose to identify some dominant flavors from the beer. American Pale Ales, for instance, can be bridged and enhanced flavorfully by rosemary, pine and spruce, or juniper herbs, for a great pairing with a meal of rosemary-dusted creamed chicken.

Following these simple principles, anyone can seem like a beer expert at the next party. Instead of going for that go-to six-pack, use these tips to pair off your meal with the best beer possible.

Check out the Kendall College page on beer pairings for the full guide on how to pair beers with food, as well as how to pair different brews with international flavors and dishes.

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Photo: Cambridge Brewing Co. | Flickr