Put down the stale pretzels and try elevated snacks (like pan seared saganaki drizzled with honey) instead.

Have you noticed that there’s a million and one different craft beers these days? Okay maybe not a million, but there’s still a lot to choose from. Thanks to the craft beer boom there’s never been a better time to be a beer lover. Especially if you’re the kind of beer lover who likes exploring new flavours, finding unique brewers, and the adventure of trying something a little different.

But while you’re exploring the epic and ever-expanding world of craft beer you’re going to need an important sidekick: snacks. And next-level beer calls for next-level snacks. It’s time to put away the boring peanuts and stale pretzels and whip up something a little more elevated. To get you started we’ve highlighted some of our favourite craft beer and snack pairings below. So settle in, crack open a cold crafty one and get your taste buds ready for a trip to flavourtown.

Lagers with tangy yoghurt dip, crispy capers and pita chips

Lager style beers are crisp, clean, and refreshing, which means they’re at their best when paired with something salty. Normally, this is where you’d default to salted nuts or a bowl of hot chips (which are great, there will be no hot chip slander here) but our favourite salty treat is a little more unique: crispy fried capers. Sauté some capers in hot olive oil, then while you leave them to drain on some paper towel, whip up a quick dip (stir lemon juice, finely grated garlic, salt and pepper into some Greek yoghurt). Spoon your magical little flavour bombs on top and serve with pita chips and, voilà, you’ve just found your new favourite chip and dip combo. The only way to make it better is to wash it down with a crisp craft lager like Cracka Yak Lager, or there’s Heaps Normal’s new alcohol free Another Lager if you’re cutting back.

Pale Ales and IPAs with pan seared saganaki with drizzled honey

Is there anything better than cheese? Well yeah, fried cheese, obviously. And nobody does fried cheese quite like the Greeks. Saganaki is the perfect mix of warm, salty, ooey, gooey goodness – the perfect flavour match for the malty, bready flavours of pale ales and IPAs. The addition of a little honey to finish off the fried cheese makes it even more perfect, balancing out the bitterness of the beer's hops. Pirate Life California Pale Ale would go down an absolute treat with this dish thanks to its hint of malt and sturdy bitterness. Or if you like your ales even maltier then we’d recommend cracking open a 4 Pines Ultra Low, which is full on flavour but light on alcohol.

Hazy ales and pacific ales with jerk chicken wings

There are a lot of famous couples in history – Romeo and Juliet, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, that couple from The Notebook – but of all the world’s love stories our favourite has got to be chicken and beer (sorry Beyoncé). Chicken and beer are so perfect together they’re practically written in the stars. Some like it fried, some like it grilled, but our favourite way to serve chicken with beer takes inspiration from Jamaica. Jamaican jerk chicken wings are sweet, spicy, zingy and smoky – the perfect match for a juicy hazy or pacific ale. The Panhead Rolling Stone Pacific Ale turns up the citrus tang and refreshes your palate after all that spice.

Tropical ales and summer ales with chargrilled padrón peppers

Beers that put hops front and centre, like tropical ales, summer ales, and even hazy ales, tend to be bursting with flavour from the fruitier end of the spectrum. They’re big, bold and juicy – almost like biting into a bright summery afternoon in the tropics. To highlight that fruitiness without overdoing it you need a snack that’s zingy but mellow, sweet but savoury, peppery but not spicy – you need padrón peppers. Don’t be fooled by the appearance of these little green peppers, they’re more like a capsicum than a chilli. And once they’re blistered on a chargrill and topped with flaky sea salt they become the ultimate moreish beer snack, ripe for pairing with a beer like Atomic Hazy IPA. But be warned – you won’t be able to stop at just one padrón. Grab yourself a New Dawn Craft BFY to match and don’t be surprised when you’ve polished off a whole plate of peppers (speaking from experience).

Sour beers with a vibrant crudités platter

Thirst-quenching and mouth-puckering, sour beers are like flavour explosions that take over your entire palate. You’d think that epic sourness would make them hard to pair with foods but in reality they’re surprisingly versatile. The key is to not overthink it, which is why we like to enjoy a sour like Colossal Inner Gravity Passionfruit Sour Beer with a simple and vibrant crudité platter. Don’t be scared by that fancy word, it’s just the French giving a name to fresh raw vegetables paired with a light dip. But this is no ordinary carrot sticks and supermarket hummus, we’re talking about a selection of seasonal, colourful veg – anything crunchy will work. You could try radicchio, radishes, colourful bean pods, dutch carrots, zucchini – whatever looks best at your local market. The tartness of the sour beer will highlight the sweetness of the fresh vegetables and elevate a simple veggie platter to epic new heights.