Beer pairs well with lots of things - good friends, funky music and maybe a designated driver for good measure. It also pairs well with food.

For the hundreds descending on Port Townsend and its downtown American Legion Hall this weekend with a thirst for strange brews, pairing opportunities abound.

The 12th-annual Strange Brewfest brings together some three dozen Pacific Northwest breweries, each pouring two brews especially made for the festival over two days, while six funky musical acts keep feet moving and butts shaking.

For those tempted to venture beyond the festival walls, Port Townsend and Jefferson County are filled with good food and drink. You just have to know where to look.

BREW FOOD

Since its 2005 inception at the former Water Street Brewing in downtown Port Townsend, Strange Brewfest has served as a testing ground for experimental brewing creations. For example, Elysian Brewing's Dick Cantwell debuted his now widely distributed Avatar Jasmine IPA at the festival that year.

And, no matter how strange, any brew can find balance with the right dish - whether a classic pairing of, say, pilsner and pizza or stout and stew, or something stranger, such as a Belgian Iambic with chicharrones (fried pork rinds) or a honey basil ale with fries and ketchup.

This year, festival food includes fresh paella from Paella House of Port Townsend; burgers from the American Legion Marvin G. Shields Memorial Post No. 26 crew; and pretzel necklaces, chips, nuts and pepperoni sticks from the Legion Ladies' Auxiliary.

Port Townsend's Courtyard Cafe is serving pulled-pork sandwiches on house-made Hawaiian buns, as well as chili, nachos, breadsticks and beer-cheese soup, and smoked cheddarbacon scones.

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader asked 12 locals - from brewers and chefs to beer snobs and foodies - what their favorite Northwest craft beer is to pair with any food available locally. Here, from pages 12 through 14, are their recommendations:

Strange Brewfest 12

WHAT: A two-day winter festival that attracts hundreds of craft brew lovers, visitors and locals alike; it celebrates its 12th year with more than 35 Northwest breweries pouring some 70 specially crafted, creatively unique beers and ciders.

WHEN: 5 p.m.-midnight on Friday, Jan. 29; 1 p.m.-midnight on Saturday, Jan. 30

WHERE: American Legion Hall, 209 Monroe St., downtown Port Townsend

MUSIC: Friday night, LoWire of Port Townsend and Snug Harbor of Bellingham are set to bring the funk. Saturday's lineup includes Joy in Mudville of Port Angeles, as well as Rippin'Chicken, Swindler and Lucky Brown & the Super Premium Chiefs, all of Seattle.

TICKETS:$30 at the door or online through Brown Paper Tickets at strangebrewfestpt.com/tickets.htm.

Virginia Marston and Ned Herbert

Taproom and bottle shop owners, Pourhouse

Chuckanut pilsner from Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen (Bellingham)

White Pie from Hillbottom Pie (215 Tyler St., 385-1306)

"Chuckanut Pilsner is a golden-bodied, crisp, effervescent lager brewed in Bellingham. Its clean and refreshing taste pairs well with a hot and gooey pizza pie right out of Tim and Mariko's oven. We like the Chuckanut pilsner because it is the most true-to-style pilsner brewed in Washington state, and it is a beer style that we are both partial to. Hillbottom's White Pie comes out of the oven with a bubbly and airy crust topped with a bright house-made basil pesto combined with gooey, fresh mozzarella and kalamata olives that add a meaty saltiness."

Arran Stark

Executive chef, Jefferson Healthcare

Wanderlust IPA from Breakside Brewery (Portland, Oregon)

Cirrus cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery (338 Sherman St., 379-0895)

"On occation, l've had the privilege to join with Mt. Townsend's head cheese maker, Dylan Stanfield, to talk food and pair his cheeses with selections from our local Pourhouse's beer board. One memorable session included a perfectly aged Cirrus paired with an IPA from Breakside Brewery called Wanderlust. The inherent floral acidity of the Wanderlust paired really well on my palate with a light saltiness of buttery Camembert-style Cirrus."

Ryan Trail

CEO, Mt. Townsend Creamery; formerly a brewery engineer at New Belgium Brewing Company

Kilt Lifter ale from The Pike Brewing Company (Seattle)

Off Kilter cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery (338 Sherman St., 379-0895)

"I've devoted the last two decades to production of fine beer and cheese; they naturally pair well together. I love them both equally (like my children). I like to pair Off Kilter cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery with Kilt Lifter ale from Pike Brewing. While Off Kilter is aging, we wash the cheese with Kilt Lifter ale. We originally had the idea to work with Pike Brewing because Rose Ann and Charles Finkel from Pike were big supporters of ours when we first started the creamery. They used to ride their tandem bicycle to the Ballard Farmers Market to buy our cheese for their restaurant in the Pike Place Market. The beer is not a flavoring for the cheese on its own; it's the nutrients, acidity, and yeast from the beer that help develop the microbes that ripen and give flavor to our cheese. In my opinion, this creates flavors that are not identical, but very complementary. Another local twist: Make a cheeseburger with Short's Family Farm grass-fed beef and Off Kilter cheese, and serve with Kilt Lifter."

Dominic Svornich

Co-owner, Cellar Door

Avatar Jasmine IPA from Elysian Brewing Company (Seattle)

Not-So-Plain Jane with pickled jalapenos from Dogs-A-Foot (closed in winter); or barbecue pork bahn mi from Pho Thao Vietnamese Cuisine (2310 Washington St., 385-3240)

"My wife, Stephanie, and I own Cellar Door, a local restaurant, bar and music venue, and I've been a home brewer for 10-plus years. Food and beer are two of my biggest passions in life, much to the detriment of my waistline. To be honest, I've only had this combination once ... but man, it was good. The Avatar is a perfectly balanced IPA for spicy food. It's brewed with jasmine and is one of my favorite beers of all time. The floral notes are delicate but still cut through even strong flavors, like spicy hot dogs or barbecue, without any cloying sweetness. It's hoppy and high octane enough without being too bitter, so it doesn't overwhelm the palate. There's just the right amount of flavor to balance aggressive food. I believe you can get the Avatar IPA in 22-oz. bottles at the Pourhouse, and I know it's available at Aldrich's Market, The Port Townsend Food Co-op, Safeway and QFC."