The Perfect Beer Pairings For Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Grilled cheese sandwiches and beer are natural partners. The comfort food of childhood, grilled cheese, is elevated with a pleasure particular to adulthood—beer. The pairing possibilities are endless and more sophisticated than you might imagine. For instance, a balsamic blueberry grilled cheese sandwich pairs well with a fruity cider, while a white truffle grilled cheese goes well with a farmhouse ale. The ultimate comfort food, an aged cheddar cheese with pistachio sage pesto and a dollop of applesauce, is best enjoyed with an amber ale. However, when it comes to grilled cheese, it is recommended to stay away from hoppy beers like IPAs and wheat beers. Instead, opt for a lager or pilsner, or even a stout like Guinness, to complement the salty, gooey, grilled cheese sandwich.

Beer-soaked grilled cheese

The ultimate comfort food, a grilled cheese sandwich is a simple pleasure that can be elevated with the perfect beer pairing. But why stop at pairing when you can add beer directly to your grilled cheese?

The Beer

The first step is to select the right beer. A brown ale is a natural choice, with its malty, dark fruit flavours balancing out the mild, aged cheddar cheese. You could also try a Bock beer with Swiss cheese, or an Oatmeal Stout with gouda. For this recipe, you will need 1 cup of your chosen beer.

The Sandwich

To make the sandwich, you will need:

• 1/4 tsp of chili powder
• 1 loaf of sourdough bread, cut into eight 1/2" slices
• 1 block of mild or sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
• 2 tbsp of butter, plus more if needed
• Optional toppings: bacon, sliced ham, prosciutto, or avocado

The Method

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together 1 cup of beer with eggs, flour, salt, and chili powder. Dunk a slice of bread into the batter, coating both sides, and allow it to soak for a moment. Remove the bread and let the excess batter drain back into the bowl. Place the battered slice of bread on a plate and top with cheese and any desired toppings. Repeat the process with another slice of bread to create a sandwich.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Place the sandwich in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until the bread is crispy and golden, and the cheese is gooey. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients to make additional sandwiches.

Serve the sandwiches hot and crispy, with your chosen beer, and enjoy the ultimate comfort food.

Pairing Ideas

If you want to pair your beer-soaked grilled cheese with a beer, there are some excellent options to choose from. A lager or pilsner is a good choice to quench the thirst induced by the saltiness of the sandwich. If you're feeling fancy, a saison might be a good choice, especially if you've used a soft-ripened, bloomy rind cheese. For a more classic grilled cheese, a light and straightforward beer like PBR is a good choice.

Whatever beer you choose, the combination of a grilled cheese sandwich and a refreshing beer is a match made in comfort food heaven.

Beer and grilled cheese pairings

Grilled cheese sandwiches and beer are natural partners. The pairing possibilities are endless and more sophisticated than you might imagine.

Lager or Pilsner

A lager or pilsner is a good choice to pair with a grilled cheese sandwich. These beers are easy to drink and refreshing, and won't overwhelm the sandwich. An example of a good pairing is the Deschutes Da Shootz lager, an American pilsner that is clean, lightly toasted with a hint of citrus. Another option is the Brooklyn Brewery's pilsner, which pairs well with a lighter sandwich such as the Spicy Smashed Avocado Asparagus with Dill and Havarti.

Farmhouse Ale

A farmhouse ale is a good choice for a grilled cheese sandwich with earthy flavours. Ommegang Brewery's Hennepin is a good example and pairs well with a White Truffle Grilled Cheese, which includes two kinds of mushrooms, two types of cheese, and a hint of truffle oil.

Brown Ale

A brown ale is a good choice for a beer-soaked grilled cheese sandwich. The Brooklyn Brew Shop pairs a nutty brown ale with a sourdough bread and cheddar cheese sandwich. The beer is whisked with eggs, flour, salt, and chili powder to create a batter for the sandwich, which is then cooked in a skillet.

Stout

A stout is a good choice for a grilled cheese sandwich with strong flavours. The Lost Abbey Serpent’s Stout from San Francisco is a serious beer with close to 11% alcohol. It has a malty, bitter flavour that can stand up to a rich, cheesy sandwich.

India Pale Ale (IPA)

An IPA is a good choice for a grilled cheese sandwich with a strong cheese. The bold flavours of the beer stand up to the cheese. An example is the Pumpkick IPA from New Belgium, which pairs well with a Grilled Cheese with Fig Preserve, Apple, and Pumpkin Seeds. Another option is the Anchor Christmas Ale, a malty beer with hints of cinnamon and clove, which pairs well with a Westcombe Red Cheese and Black Forest Ham sandwich.

Avoiding heavy beers

When pairing beer with grilled cheese, it's best to avoid heavy beers. As Piero Procida, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles, says, "It's filling enough with the bread on the grilled cheese and having a heavy beer will just make you feel bloated." He recommends staying away from hoppy beers like IPAs and wheat beers, and instead opting for something refreshing and thirst-quenching to balance out the saltiness of the grilled cheese.

Lager or pilsner are good options, as they are easy to drink and won't overwhelm the sandwich. For example, Deschutes Da Shootz lager, an American Pilsner with hints of citrus, pairs well with a classic grilled cheese. Sapporo from Sapporo City, Japan, is another refreshing choice that won't overpower the sandwich.

If you're looking for something a little more sophisticated, a schwarzbier (a black lager) could be a good option. It has the robust flavours of a stout without the high ABV. Metropolitan Brewing in Chicago makes a great schwarzbier, and if you can't find that, a Guinness is always a reliable choice.

For those who enjoy fruity flavours, a cider can be a good alternative to beer. Crispin's Honey Crisp Cider is a great pairing with a balsamic blueberry grilled cheese sandwich, as it balances the creamy and crunchy textures and sweet and sharp flavours.

So, when choosing a beer to pair with grilled cheese, it's best to avoid heavy, overly aromatic beers that will make you feel bloated. Instead, opt for something refreshing, crisp, and easy to drink to complement the sandwich without overwhelming it.

Bartender recommendations

Piero Procida, a bartender at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles, recommends staying away from hoppy beers like IPAs and wheat beers when pairing a beer with a grilled cheese sandwich. He suggests opting for a lager or pilsner, such as the Deschutes Da Shootz lager, an American Pilsner with hints of citrus.

Jordan David Smith, the spirits director and head bartender at HALL in New York City, takes a different approach. He recommends pairing the sandwich with a light, crisp, and straightforward beer like PBR if using Kraft singles and Wonderbread. However, if you're using a sharper cheese like Cabot cheddar, he suggests a tropically hop-forward IPA or DIPA like Grimm's Afterimage to balance the saltiness and tang of the cheese. For those who enjoy a soft-ripened bloomy rind cheese, Smith recommends a saison like Saison Dupont or Hill Farmstead's Anna.

Everson Rawlings, a mixologist at Scrub Island Resort Spa and Marina in the British Virgin Islands, typically pairs grilled cheese with an ale. However, since ales are not as popular in the Virgin Islands, his go-to choice is Carib Lager, a light and refreshing lager that complements the rich cheese and crispy bread.

Jon Joseph, a bartender at JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa in Sonora, Texas, suggests a different approach altogether. Considering the fattiness of cheese, he recommends a bourbon barrel-aged beer like the Kentucky Breakfast Stout. The creamy finish of this beer pairs well with the melted creaminess of the cheese without overpowering the sandwich.

Lastly, Hayden Miller, the head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami, favours a schwarzbier—essentially, a black lager—as a pairing option. Miller particularly enjoys the Magnetron from Metropolitan Brewing in Chicago. A schwarzbier offers the robust flavours of a stout without the high ABV, making it an attractive pairing for a grilled cheese sandwich.

Beer and bread

A general rule of thumb is to avoid heavy, overly aromatic, and flavourful beers as these can overwhelm the grilled cheese. Instead, opt for a lager, pilsner, or even a stout—something refreshing and easy to drink that won't make you feel bloated.

For instance, a lager like Sapporo from Sapporo City, Japan, or an American pilsner like Deschutes Da Shootz lager, pairs well with the classic grilled cheese. If you're feeling adventurous, a brown ale can also be a great choice, especially when used to soak the bread, as in a beer-soaked grilled cheese sandwich. For this, a nutty brown ale is whisked with eggs, flour, salt, and chili powder to create a batter that the bread slices are then dunked in before grilling.

If you're a fan of sourdough bread, a Chimay Blue beer is a good choice to accompany your grilled cheese. Or, if you're serving your sandwich with tomato soup, a Bloody Mary is a fun, well-loved option. For a more luxurious experience, a medium-priced bottle of champagne is a classy way to elevate this comfort food.

Frequently asked questions