There are people whose brains I would like to download. and thanks to the CraftBeer.com Beer & Food Course a 60-page digital manual that you can download. You can get the combined food and beer wisdom of Co-authors chef Adam Dulye, Brewers Association culinary consultant and Julia Herz, craft beer program director at the Brewers Association.
The download is “constructed as a five-day course that offers an introduction to the beverage of craft beer, pairing beer with food and how to pour and present beer at the table.” But don’t let that format or target market scare you off. This document has got a lot of good info. Especially once you get past the beer style and brewing 101 information. Though that too is helpful if you haven’t run across it before.
My suggestion is to check out the sections like this, which I sort of knew, but hadn’t read in one spot before:
Palate Interactions Between Craft Beer and Food
• Hop bitterness is balanced and settled on the palate by the addition of fat.
• Roasted malt notes are matched on the palate by sweetness.
• Carbonation is intensified by increasing the umami of a dish.
• Alcohol is calmed on the palate by both sweetness and fat.
• Notable malt flavor profiles match well with acidity.
• Hop aromas are transferred to the palate when paired with sweet aromas.
• Sweet malt notes calm spice on the palate.
• Hop bitterness enhances notes of spice.
• Carbonation is an effective tool to cleanse lighter fats.
It is a quick read and has a good section on beer and cheese as well. So check it out.