Louisville, KY: Hot Brown and a BBC Nut Brown Ale. The Brown Hotel (335 W. Broadway) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, giving the notion of hunkering down in the Lobby Bar for a Hot Brown more import. This sandwich, created at the hotel, boasts turkey, bacon and tomato on an open-faced island of Texas toast in a sea of rich Mornay sauce (butter and cream). Pair this classic from this English Renaissance-style hotel with an English-style Nut Brown Ale from Bluegrass Brewing Co. (3929 Shelbyville Road).
Brookings, SD: Pheasant sandwich and Brau Brothers, Heist or Wooden Legs. This has long been pheasant hunting grounds, and this sando, frequently served a la chicken salad sandwich, has its roots in World War II as a way to feed soldiers. Today, hunters and nonhunters still enjoy it at the Pheasant Restaurant & Lounge (726 Main Ave. S.). Though the lounge touts Brau Brothers from across the state line in Minnesota, Brookings now boasts two breweries: Heist (611 2nd St. S.) and Wooden Legs (309 5th St.), whose Farmhouse Ale is the best shot for pairing.
Minneapolis: Jucy Lucy and Town Hall Brewing’s Masala Mama. It can appear as a Juicy Lucy or a Jucy Lucy, and the latter is what you’ll find at Matt’s Bar (3500 Cedar Ave. ). There’s something to be said for inner beauty, and the beauty of this cheeseburger is that the cheese is on the inside. Relish your food coma while sipping pints of one of the most cherished IPAs, Masala Mama, at Town Hall (1430 Washington Ave. S.)
Somerville, MA: Fluffernutter and Slumbrew Porter Square Porter. Just outside Boston, the marshmallow’s even more malleable mate was born, christened Fluff. PB&Js too wholesome and healthy? Swap Fluff for jelly and make a fluffernutter, a sandwich many outside the East Coast think is fictitious. Somerville Brewing, the brewery behind the Slumbrew line of beers, makes an ultra-chocolaty porter that, when paired with a fluffernutter, leaves you wanting s’more.