Beyond the basics of beer and a shot

A whiskey, beer back, is hardly the pinnacle of creative bartending. But as many San Francisco bartenders know, not every beer-and-booze pairing works in a simple, venerable boilermaker.

"The beer-and-shot combo is always a tantalizing challenge," says Duggan McDonnell, owner of Cantina. "It presents an opportunity to really please a guest, or to fail miserably."

The rise of craft brews and the proliferation of artisanal spirits means the simple request for a beer and a bump can provide countless avenues for exploration. Finding a perfect pairing, though, takes a little thought.

"If you go overpowering in flavor in any direction - like having a superheavy beer with a whiskey with a more intricate flavor - you're going to overwhelm the delicate flavors," says Jason King, owner of the Broken Record.

King recommends a lighter flavored beer such as Trumer Pilsner with a grainy, highland-malt whisky such as An Cnoc 16-year-old. For a flavor experience that's more bombastic, yet complementary, King suggests a hoppy beer such as Victory Prima Pils paired with the tangy IPA-like Charbay Hop Flavored Whiskey, a gulp-inducing $329 per bottle.

Beer is usually PBR

At Thieves Tavern, the beer-and-a-shot matchup is such a part of the bar's culture that it offers rotating specials for $7; the beer is invariably Pabst Blue Ribbon, but the paired liquor can range from Jameson Irish whiskey to Eagle Rare bourbon.

For the more adventurous, bartender Jay Beaman says he'll pair Anchor Brewing's Summer Beer, a crisp wheat ale, with the soft roundness of wheated American whiskey such as Maker's Mark or, better yet, Bernheim Wheat Whiskey. During cooler months, the richness of Anchor Porter provides a good foundation for darker, stronger whiskies such as the cask-strength George T. Stagg Bourbon.

"It's a high proof at 144, but put a couple of cubes in that and you'll drink two beers while you go through the whiskey," Beaman says. "It's just a perfect pairing."

While McDonnell recommends the classic beer-and-whisky match for his guests at Cantina - he says a Speyside whisky such as Glenrothes Select Reserve has a special symbiosis with a beer such as Devil's Canyon Full Boar Scottish Ale - he suggests more offbeat pairings such as the dry, floral flavor of Anchor Brewing's Liberty Ale with the subtle sweetness of a Venezuelan rum such as Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, or the dark richness of porter or stout with his own Campo de Encanto Pisco.

Brandon Josie, bar manager at 15 Romolo, says that while many of the bar's beer-and-back pairings are fairly traditional - such as Trumer Pilsner and Four Roses Bourbon or Negra Modelo and 7 Leguas Reposado Tequila - a handful are more esoteric.

"Right now we're into serving schnapps and liqueurs from Europe that go well with Belgian beer," Josie says. His current favorite: Gageleer, a Belgian ale brewed with bog myrtle, paired with a shot of Echt Stonsdorfer, a hard-to-find German herbal liqueur flavored with myrtle berries.

All-inclusive approach

Hog & Rocks in the Mission District takes a similarly all-inclusive approach. Along with conventional boilermakers served with bourbon or Tennessee whiskey, general manager Christine D'Abrosca lists specials such as the Kopstoot, a traditional Dutch pairing that matches a light-flavored beer - Hogs & Rocks opts for Pilsner Urquell - with the malty complexity of Bols genever, the rich spirit that is the ancestor to modern-day gin.

An alumnus of Smuggler's Cove, D'Abrosca is also a fan of rum, and pairs the lusciously dark Zaya Gran Reserva with Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.

For former Jardiniere bar manager (and 2010 Bar Star) Brian MacGregor, unwinding at shift's end entails dipping into mezcal.

"The beer is crisp and refreshing, and I love the smokiness of the mezcal. It's leaner than scotch - it just hops off the palate," MacGregor says.

Choice of brands depends on where he's drinking; at Doc's Clock in the Mission, where MacGregor occasionally works until he takes up the helm at the soon-to-open Locanda, the beer may be Olympia and the mezcal the pyrotechnically smoky Sombra. If he's at Elixir, the choices might be Spaten Pilsner and the sublime Del Maguey Chichicapa.

"Together you have the smoky spice of mezcal with the cold crispness of pilsner," he says. "It's perfect at the end of the day."

Paul Clarke is a contributing editor at Imbibe magazine and publisher of the blog the Cocktail Chronicles. E-mail comments to wine@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page J - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle