Beer and crisps has always made more sense than beer and popcorn, and Pringles, being uniform, stackable, and made in six very distinct flavors, are one of the easiest snacks to actually pair on purpose rather than just grab whatever is in the cupboard. Food writers and outlets like Pellicle have made the case that crisps and beer deserve the same kind of thought people put into wine and cheese, and Pringles are a great place to start because every can tastes exactly the same no matter when or where you buy it.
The logic below follows the same rule that works for any beer and food pairing: match intensity with intensity, then look for a shared flavor note. A mild, salty flavor wants a light, crisp beer. A smoky, sweet, or tangy flavor needs a beer with enough of its own character to stand up to it. Get that balance wrong, and one side just disappears. Below is a full breakdown by Pringles flavor, using beers we have actually reviewed on the site, with a specific pick and a style guide for each one.
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Pringles and Beer Pairings at a Glance
The short version. Full write-up and a beer-specific pick for each flavor are below.
| Pringles Flavor | Best Beer Style | Our Pick | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Wheat Beer | Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier | 4.4/5 |
| Sour Cream & Onion | American IPA | Bell’s Two Hearted Ale | 4.6/5 |
| Cheddar Cheese | Flanders-Style Sour Ale | Jolly Pumpkin La Roja | 4.2/5 |
| BBQ | American Porter | Deschutes Black Butte Porter | 4.3/5 |
| Pizza | Pilsner | Pilsner Urquell | 4.5/5 |
| Salt & Vinegar | English Bitter | Fuller’s London Pride | 4.3/5 |
Match intensity with intensity first, then chase shared flavor notes. A smoky BBQ chip wants a roasty porter, and a sharp vinegar chip wants a beer with enough malt to soften it, not fight it.
Shop the Six Beers in This Guide
Every beer recommended below, in one scrollable row if you just want to order and skip ahead.
Original Pringles and Wheat Beer
Original Pringles are the control group of the whole lineup: potato, corn, salt, and that unmistakable stackable crunch, with nothing else fighting for attention. That is exactly why it works with a wheat beer. Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, the benchmark German wheat beer, brings banana and clove notes and a soft, bready body that fills in the gaps the chip leaves behind, while its natural carbonation resets your palate before the next handful.
- Nothing overpowers the other
- Easy, sessionable pairing for a whole bowl
- Works as a lazy-afternoon snack combo
- Can feel a little safe if you want more contrast
Sour Cream & Onion Pringles and American IPA
Sour Cream & Onion brings sharp, tangy onion powder and a rich dairy coating, and that tang needs an American IPA with enough hop bitterness to cut through it rather than get buried under it. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, the IPA other brewers still measure themselves against, brings grapefruit and pine hop character that lines up with the onion and washes the creaminess off your tongue between chips.
- Hops cut clean through the tangy coating
- Grapefruit notes echo the onion powder
- Big enough flavor to stand up to a full bowl
- Too bitter if you prefer a milder beer with snacks
Cheddar Cheese Pringles and Flanders-Style Sour Ale
Cheddar Cheese Pringles are dense and a little fatty on the tongue, which is exactly the kind of texture a tart, acidic sour beer is built to cut through. Jolly Pumpkin La Roja, an American wild ale brewed in the Flanders red tradition, has bright cherry-like acidity and a dry, oaky finish that resets your palate after every cheesy stack, the same job a good cheese board sour ale is meant to do.
- Acidity slices through the cheese fat
- Genuinely refreshing between handfuls
- A more grown-up match than a straight lager
- Sour beers are a harder sell if you have never tried the style
BBQ Pringles and American Porter
BBQ Pringles lean into smoke, sugar, and a little heat, so the beer needs its own roasted, malty backbone or it just disappears. Deschutes Black Butte Porter, the benchmark American porter, carries dark chocolate and roasted coffee character alongside a touch of dark fruit sweetness, which meets the BBQ seasoning head-on instead of fading next to it.
- Roasted malt meets the BBQ char instead of losing to it
- Dark malt sweetness plays well with BBQ sugar
- A genuinely cozy autumn/winter combo
- Heavier beer, better suited to a slower snacking session
Pizza Pringles and Pilsner
Pizza-flavor Pringles pack tomato, oregano, and a salty, savory hit, so the beer needs to be crisp enough to reset your palate between chips without adding to the salt. Pilsner Urquell, the original pilsner, is clean, faintly bready, and carries just enough noble-hop bitterness to keep up with the herbs without ever getting heavy. It is the same logic that makes a crisp lager the go-to order with an actual pizza.
- Classic pizza-and-lager logic, just in chip form
- Crisp enough to eat a whole can without fatigue
- Widely available if you want to try this tonight
- Not much contrast if you want a bolder beer
Salt & Vinegar Pringles and English Bitter
Salt & Vinegar is the sharpest flavor on this list, and it needs a beer with enough malt backbone to balance the acidity rather than clash with it. Fuller’s London Pride, the definitive English bitter, brings a light caramel malt sweetness and gentle English hop character that softens the vinegar tang without ever going sweet enough to fight it.
- Malt sweetness tames the vinegar bite
- English hop character keeps it from feeling flat
- A pub-classic pairing if you already like fish and chips with a pint
- Fans of very hoppy beers may want more bitterness here
Pringles and Beer Pairing FAQ
What beer goes best with Pringles?
It depends on the flavor. Original pairs well with a light wheat beer, Sour Cream and Onion wants an IPA with enough bitterness to cut the tang, and BBQ needs a roasty porter that can match its own sweetness and char.
Do Pringles pair better with lager or ale?
Both work, depending on the flavor. Lighter, saltier flavors like Original and Pizza suit a crisp pilsner, while richer or tangier flavors like Cheddar Cheese, BBQ and Sour Cream and Onion do better with an ale that has more body or bitterness, like a hoppy IPA or porter.
What is the best beer for Salt and Vinegar Pringles?
An English-style bitter with a bit of caramel malt sweetness, like Fuller’s London Pride. The malt backbone softens the vinegar’s sharp acidity instead of clashing with it.
Can you pair a non-alcoholic beer with Pringles?
Yes. The same logic applies: match a light, crisp non-alcoholic lager to milder flavors like Original or Pizza, and save fuller-bodied non-alcoholic ales for BBQ or Cheddar Cheese.
Explore the Beer Styles in This Guide
- Best Wheat Beers for Summer
- Best IPAs: 12 Ranked by a Homebrewer
- Best Sour Beers 2026
- Best American Beers
- Best Pilsner Beer
- Best English Beers
More Food Pairing Guides
- Best Beers to Pair with Pizza 2026: 8 Matches from Lager to IPA
- The Complete Guide to Pairing Beer and Cigars
- Best Beers to Pair with Seafood 2026: 8 Crisp Matches for Shrimp and Fish
- Best Beers to Pair with Burgers 2026
- Best Beers to Pair with Tacos 2026
- Guinness Chocolate Milkshake with Jameson and Caramel
If savory snack pairings have you in the mood for something sweeter, our brownie batter beer roundup covers the dessert stouts built to taste like actual brownie batter.
