Patrick Oconnell
Beer and cheese are a celebrated pairing, and for good reason. The bitterness and fruitiness of hops in beer complement the herbal, nutty, and earthy notes of many cheeses. The key to a good pairing is balancing the flavour intensity of the beer and cheese. For example, a tangy chèvre can be paired with a lemony saison, while a salty blue cheese can be paired with a sweet barley wine. Beer and cheese are also a great match because the carbonation in beer can cut through the mouth-coating fats of cheese, prepping your palate for another bite.
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What You'll Learn
- Beer and cheese pairings are about balancing flavour intensity
- Lighter beers like pilsners and lagers go well with lighter, fresh cheeses
- Strong beers like barleywines and stouts complement pungent, aged cheeses
- Sour beers with lots of funky acidity pair well with fat, indulgent cheeses
- American Pale ales are easy drinking and go well with tangy, low-maintenance cheddars
Beer and cheese pairings are about balancing flavour intensity
Beer and cheese pairings are all about balancing flavour intensity. To start, choose one cheese or beer that you already love. Then, look for complementary pairings, like a tangy chèvre with a lemony saison, or contrasts, like a salty blue with a sweet barley wine. Remember to taste the cheese first, then the beer, and then try them together.
Wheat ales have plenty of effervescence, which slices through dense, cakey cheeses like a knife. They also have bright notes of citrus that co-mingle with goat cheese's lemony tang, which together taste like lemon meringue pie. Sour beers, on the other hand, have a lot of funky acidity, which you'll want to balance out with lots of fat. Avoid tangy cheeses like feta and instead go for indulgent, voluptuous cheeses that leave your lips feeling slick with butterfat.
The yeasty, banana bread flavours in robust ales calm the strong smell of washed rind cheeses. Belgians are also bold enough to stand up to rich, custard textures. Together, they create toasty, caramel notes that remind people of crème brûlée. Amber ales are filled with lots of sweet, malty notes that create a praline pecan effect when combined with salty, nutty sheep's milk cheeses. Bold blues have enough robust character to stand up to big, chocolatey stouts. It's a salty-sweet combination that's perfect for dessert, like chocolate-covered pretzels or salted caramel.
When it comes to blue cheese, you have a few options. If you're a hop lover, Dave Engbers of Founders Brewing Co. recommends pairing an IPA with creamy blues: "I love their texture and mild pungency that works so well with the hop bitterness of an IPA." Mark Reinwald agrees: "American-style IPA's broad bitterness serves as a blade through the creaminess and richness of the blue cheese."
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Lighter beers like pilsners and lagers go well with lighter, fresh cheeses
Lagers are a family of beers that includes bright lagers, amber lagers, dark lagers, Oktoberfests, and pilsners. They are fermented slowly at cool temperatures before bottling in a process called lagering, which makes them smoother and lighter than the hoppy ales more common with current craft beer brewers. The malty richness of lagers pairs well with lighter, fresh cheeses. For example, a triple cream bloomy rind cheese like Pierre Robert or Brillat-Savarin-style cheese pairs well with a crisp and fruity pilsner. The lush, smooth and decadent cheese is a perfect foil for the beer's clean effervescence.
Another option is to pair a lager with a sheep and cows' milk cheese from the Pyrenees, like Pilota. This dense and creamy cheese with its rich nuttiness stands up to the softer, more honeyed flavours of a Viena-style lager with hints of malt and gentle hops. Domestic lagers like Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Coors Light also pair well with mild cheeses such as mild cheddar or havarti. The malty flavour of lager also makes it a good match for nutty and creamy cheeses such as gouda or fontina.
Pilsners, which are sharp and crisp in taste, are another type of light beer that goes well with lighter, fresh cheeses. A good option is to pair a pilsner with a creamy cheese that has light and subtle aged flavours. For example, the crisp and fruity notes of a Panhead Port Road Pilsner can cut through the buttery richness of a burrata.
When choosing a beer and cheese pairing, it's important to remember that personal preference is key. If you like the way the two flavours taste together, then it's a successful pairing. Don't be afraid to experiment and find the combinations that you enjoy the most.
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Strong beers like barleywines and stouts complement pungent, aged cheeses
When it comes to pairing beer and cheese, it's all about balancing the flavour intensity. The flavour curve of cheese is the inverse of beer—while beer typically mellows in intensity as it ages, the flavours in cheese tend to become sharper and funkier. So, lighter beers, such as pale lagers or wheats, pair well with lighter, fresher cheeses like mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or white cheddar.
Strong beers like barleywines and stouts, on the other hand, can stand up to older, more pungent, and funkier cheeses. The high alcohol content in barleywines, for instance, can cut through the dense, cakey texture of some cheeses. Their strong and sweet character also matches salty and funky cheeses with ease. Blue cheese, for example, is a classic pairing with barley wine. The salty and creamy experience of blue cheese melds well with the sweetness of sweeter stouts like oatmeal or chocolate stouts. Roastier stouts, on the other hand, pair well with heftier blues like Stilton.
Imperial stouts are another strong beer that pairs well with pungent, aged cheeses. Their complex flavours, often developed through barrel-ageing, can be overshadowed by pairing with food. However, when matched with an aged, pungent cheese, the intense flavours of the beer can shine through.
When pairing strong beers with pungent cheeses, look for complementary notes in the beer that will bring out the flavour and texture of the cheese. For example, the barnyard notes of an Irish Durrus cheese pair well with the sweeter notes of a honey saison. The sweet and bitter flavours of the beer balance the intensely pungent cheese. Similarly, the nutty, salty, and creamy characteristics of Gruyère cheese are complemented by the rich and complex malt and spicy or earthy hops found in German-style doppelbocks, English bitters, and American-style amber ales.
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Sour beers with lots of funky acidity pair well with fat, indulgent cheeses
Sour beers with high levels of acidity are an excellent match for rich, fatty foods. The natural effervescence of beer slices through the mouth-coating fats, prepping your palate for another bite. Sour beers with funky acidity pair well with fat, indulgent cheeses. The key is to balance out the acidity with fat.
When pairing beer and cheese, it is important to remember that it is an adventure. If a combination tastes good, continue with it, and if it tastes bad, stop and choose another. The rules are simple. Find common flavors and use them as a bridge to unite the two.
Sour beers with lots of funky acidity, like Flemish reds, get their tartness from lactic acid developed by lactobacillus yeast—the same type that a cheesemaker would use. This makes them a good match for fresh tangy goat cheese or salty, blue-veined Gorgonzola. Sour beers also go well with fatty and rich aged meats like prosciutto.
When pairing sour beers with indulgent cheeses, avoid tangy cheeses like feta and opt for cheeses that leave your lips feeling slick with butterfat, such as double-cream brie Mt. Tam, Burrata, or mascarpone. Sour cherry beer, like New Glarus Belgian Red, also pairs well with Burrata. The acidity and carbonation of the beer cut through the buttery richness of the cheese, and the intense fruit flavor creates a berries and cream combination.
For funkier, washed-rind, creamy cheeses like Epoisses, Vacherin Mont d'Or, or Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk, a Double or Imperial IPA is recommended. These beers often have tropical and citrus fruit flavors, and their bitterness balances out the creaminess of the cheese.
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American Pale ales are easy drinking and go well with tangy, low-maintenance cheddars
When it comes to beer and cheese pairings, it's all about balancing the flavour intensity. A good place to start is to choose a beer or cheese that you already love, then look for complementary or contrasting pairings. For instance, a tangy chèvre goes well with a lemony saison, while a salty blue cheese pairs well with a sweet barley wine.
American Pale ales are easy-drinking beers that go well with tangy, low-maintenance cheddars. The slight sweetness from the malts in the beer complements the tangy flavour of the cheddar. This pairing is uncomplicated and charming. Some cheddars to try with American Pale ales include Red Rock, Hook's Cheddar, and Shelburne Farms 2-year.
For a more complex experience, try an earthy clothbound cheddar with an IPA. The barnyard flavours in the cheddar mellow the bitter hops in the IPA and bring out the fruity notes. This combination creates a deliciously woodsy flavour profile. Montgomery's Cheddar, Willi's Bandaged Cheddar, and Cabot Clothbound Cheddar are excellent choices for this pairing.
If you're looking for a more indulgent option, aged Irish Cheddar pairs well with a stout. The malty and bold character of the stout stands up to the sharpness of the cheddar. For a sharper contrast, try a light German-style lager with a fruity cheese like Wensleydale cranberry. The fruity notes in the lager will be enhanced by the sweetness of the cheese.
Finally, for a fun twist, try using an English Pale Ale to make a cheese sauce for nachos or as a substitute for grated cheese. The beer adds a strong, distinctive flavour to the sauce. "Old Speckled Hen" is a popular choice for this, and there is also a gluten-free version available.
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Frequently asked questions
The basic principle is to find common flavours and use them as a bridge to unite the two. For example, the barnyard notes of an Irish Durrus can be paired with the sweeter notes of a honey saison, allowing the honey to balance the intensely pungent cheese.
Some popular pairings include:
- A Greek pilsner with feta cheese
- A saison with Herve in Bruges
- A pale lager with aged gouda in Amsterdam
- A shandy with brie
- A Belgian-style dubbel with Gruyere
- A blue cheese with an American-style IPA
- A stout with a blue cheese
- A wheaty beer with fresh mozzarella
- An American Pale Ale with a tangy cheddar
- A Scottish-style ale with pepper jack cheese
