Arousing the Senses with a Nice Pair
Posted: July 2, 2012 Filed under: Beer, Cheese, Food, Food Pairings | Tags: Beer, beer and cheese, beer and cheese pairings, Blue cheese, Brooklyn Brewery, Brown Ale, Cheese, cheese pairing, India Pale Ale 8 Comments »
Hands down, two of my most favorite foods are beer and cheese. I will be so bold as to say that my very existence relies upon a perpetual supply of both. If I didn’t have either, I expect I would shrivel up and blow away into the crisp Rocky Mountain wind.
It’s not by accident that I love these two foods. They are actually perfect bedfellows…and I personally believe an even better pairing than wine and cheese. (I can almost hear the wine enthusiasts shouting, Blasphemer!)
At least listen to my reasoning behind this outrageous claim.
Firstly, both foods rely upon microbial activity and when made well, can reflect the terroir (sorry for using that word again) of the area in which it is made.
Secondly, cheese is earthy, pungent and intense, usually with a creamy finish that 
can overwhelm the flavor of other libations. Beer has similar flavor profiles as that of many cheeses, but also has carbonation, bitterness and roasted flavors that can handle the richness and creaminess of most cheeses.
I probably haven’t convinced you yet, but I’ve always felt the best way to persuade somebody is to have them experience it for themselves. Therefore, I will list for you some of the best pairings of cheese and beer and you can decide for yourself if I’m accurate in my statement above.
On a final note, here are some fundamentals behind pairing beer and cheese so you can try your own combinations (from the brain and experience of Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery and famed author). There aren’t any hard fast rules, so try, try and try again until you find what you prefer.
– lighter beers with younger or fresh cheeses
– malty beers with nutty, aged cheeses
– hoppy beers with tart, sharp cheeses
– strong, sweet beers with blue cheeses
The beauty of pairing beer and cheese is you can taste away until you find the perfect pairing. If you have any favorites of your own, please don’t hesitate to include them below.
Thanks.
Related articles
- 5@5 – Cheeses that pair well with beer (eatocracy.cnn.com)
Reblogged this on and commented:
Great combination! Nice piece
Thanks for the comment.
Like the post on your site about Batemans Dark Lord. I used to travel to the UK a few times a year, but I don’t remember seeing it. Looks tasty.
http://myyum.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/the-arrival-of-the-dark-lord/
Cheers for the feedback… I think its fairly new. Its very rich and nutty almost stout, but sweeter. Maybe recommend a good cheese?
Good idea. I’d suggest a blue cheese to complement the sweetness (being in the UK you can try Stichelton, which is very close to the original classic Stilton), but if it’s also nutty, it may also pair well with a cave-aged Gruyere.
Cool… Ill see what I can track down over here. Will let you know and credit you
cheers, Rich
Beer is totally better with cheese than wine. The reason it’s so common is that people always have cheap cheese the coats the mouth with fat then they pour in cheap wine that they can’t really taste…Amazing pairing! Bleh!
Garrett Oliver, one of my favorite beer writers/personalities as well, is a huge proponent of Beer and cheese. He often challenges sommeliers to a pairing contest. They always have to bring sweeter wines because dry wines don’t work well with cheese. He always wins.
Very nice write up.
Thanks ithinkaboutbeer. We seem to be cut from the same cloth.
Being originally from NY, I’m a big fan of Brooklyn Brewery beers. My house used to be littered with big empty bottles of Local 1, Hopfen-Weisse and other assorted specialties from them.
I love your website. I recommend my followers visit your site to see more on the topic of beer.
Thanks again for the comment.
Thanks! I appreciate the recommendation! I’ve never had any Brooklyn beers unfortunately. I’ve never been where they’re distributed, but they are on my list for must try beers. I have had the hopfenweise. But the version we get is from Schneider in Germany.