Beer and Cheese Pairing

When my husband and I first got together we bonded over the foods we didn’t like. Mayonnaise, beetroot and curry were the top contenders. But we both liked cheese. On our third date we went for a picnic and stopped in a supermarket to get the food. I stood in front of the cheese section and said ‘what cheese shall we have?!’ Excited to share some interesting cheese with him….. he picked up a cheddar. Much like the hubs says ‘beer tastes like beer’, cheese should taste like cheddar and have no bits in it…. I hang my head in despair! Oh well – more cheese for me! In today’s blog post I’m looking at beer and cheese pairing. Beer is excellent with cheese and there is a wealth of combinations out there. I’ll give you some basic pointers on how to pair cheese with beer and then share some combos I enjoyed recently. Let’s get cheesy!

Beer and Cheese Pairing 101

When considering beer and cheese pairing there are some basic elements to think about. With any food pairing with beer, you should consider if they match each other, balance each other or boost each other. Matching is the easiest to consider – do the flavours in the beer match the flavours in the food or cheese? A smoked cheese would work with a rauchbier as it also has similar smoky flavours. Intensity is also important – a big barleywine will need to be paired with a flavourful cheese (think blue or aged for this). Balance is another key element in beer and cheese pairing. The carbonation in beer can balance the fattiness of cheese well, cleansing the palate for the next bite. Beer and cheese pairing can also boost each other – an imperial stout with a blue cheese can become a decadent dessert when paired just right!

Another thing to consider is locality. Beer styles have developed in particular areas of the world. What cheese is also famous in that area? A great example of this is a British cheddar with a best bitter. Mozzarella and a zesty Italian pilsner would also be very tasty. When creating your own beer and cheese pairing think about the flavours you enjoy and have fun with it – the worst that is going to happen is that you have a delicious beer and a tasty cheese but maybe they go better with another combo – you taste and you learn!

I bought some of my favourite cheeses and paired them with different beers from my stash. I tried the beer and cheese pairing first, then tried different combinations to see what else I could create. This is a really fun and tasty lunch activity – why not set one up with some friends in the garden and make an afternoon of it? Here are my combinations and suggestions.

Brie and Pilsner

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I chose a French Brie and paired it with Duration’s Doses which is one of my favourite Pilsners. In this beer and cheese pairing the Pilsner brought out the soft butteriness of the Brie while the Brie brings out the floral notes of the beer. Brie also has a bit of earthiness which can be enhanced by this pairing.

I tried the pilsner with some mozzarella as well – this boosts the creaminess of the cheese and enhanced the spicy floral notes of the beer – delicious!

Vintage English Cheddar with British Bitter

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Here is a beer and cheese pairing that considers locality. I used Maris the Otter from Brew York and found that it had a high amount of caramel in the flavour. The cheddar had a salty crunch which, when paired with this bitter, created an almost salted caramel taste. Unexpected but very welcome! The bitter also brought out the nuttiness of the cheese so this would make a great dessert combo.

I then tried the bitter with some aged Gouda (one of my favourite cheeses of the moment) and this made the cereal malt character in the beer very prominent and nutty. Definitely worth a try.

Mozzarella and Wheat Beer

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Mozzarella is a very mild cheese so you need to be careful that the beer you choose doesn’t overpower it. I used a Blue Moon for this beer and cheese pairing. The carbonation of the beer balanced the creaminess of the cheese, making it even more delightful. The cheese heightened the coriander floral notes and sweet orange of the beer. This reminded me of a summers day – it would make a great picnic selection.

I tried the wheat beer with some vintage cheddar next – the citrus tang of the beer produced a tang in the cheese. I also had some Wensleydale and cranberry cheese. Orange and cranberry is a classic pair so I thought it would be rude not to try it. This created extra fruitiness with the orange cranberry combo and the Wensleydale was extra creamy as a result.

Blue Cheese and Flanders Red Ale

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Duchesse De Bourgogne is one of my favourite beers ever. The balsamic notes are just divine. Pair this with a rich blue cheese and you have the perfect pairing in my eyes. The acidity of the beer brings out the creaminess of the cheese (I had a creamy Danish blue) and takes the edge off the earthiness of it. The saltiness of the cheese enhances the sweet balsamic notes of the beer, which is my favourite part!.

I also tried the Duchesse with some aged gouda. This beer and cheese pairing was like really fancy salt and vinegar crisps – saltiness from the cheese and sweet balsamic vinegar from the beer. Try this the next time you have a Duchesse to hand!

Blue Cheese and Stout

When I was first researching beer and cheese pairing, blue cheese and stout is a very classic combination. However, I think you need an imperial stout to get the rich flavours. I chose We Put Our Love In This by Merakai Brewing which when paired with the cheese had more coffee notes. This one didn’t go so well (especially after I had the Duchesse, so a bit unfair really!). So when pairing stout with cheese look for one with more chocolate and roasty notes rather than coffee! Sometimes a pairing won’t work as well as you had hoped, but that is the art and beauty of beer tasting and beer and cheese pairing. You need to experiment to find what you like.

Wensleydale & Cranberry with Cranberry Gose

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A classic beer and cheese pairing is a fruit beer with goat’s cheese. Unfortunately, I am allergic to goat’s milk so I can’t try that one, but do give it a go yourselves! Instead, I paired Anit-Hopsident, a cranberry gose from Wild Beer Co with my favourite cheese of all time Wensleydale and Cranberry. I figured the matched flavours would work well and I was not disappointed. The salt and acidity of the gose brought out the creaminess of the cheese and the salt balances with the sweet of the fruit. The acidity cleanses the palate but the cheese takes the edge off of that acidity and enhances the fruitiness. This was one of my favourite beer and cheese pairing.

What beer and cheese pairing are you going to try?

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Have a go at beer and cheese pairing yourself! Remember to think about the flavours in the beer and the cheese. Will they match, balance or boost? Try all the beers and all the cheeses. If a combo doesn’t work, try it with a different beer or cheese. By testing out different beer and cheese pairing we not only find out what works but also what we like. This not only works for beer and cheese but also for beer tasting. I encourage you to try different beer styles to find out what you like – your new favourite beer style (or beer and cheese pairing!) might be out there waiting for you to discover it!

If you would like to learn more about beer styles, we look at a new style every month in my beer membership The Beer Tent Society. We have live beer tasting sessions and look at the history of the style. Join us today and start your journey to become a beer expert with Love Beer Learning!