Classic Beer and Cheese Pairings

Everyone knows the classic combination of wine and cheese, in fact, we even wrote about it ourselves (read it here: https://cheesemaker.ca/blogs/education/how-to-pair-wine-with-cheese)! But just because wine and cheese is the most famous beverage to pair with cheese, that does not necessarily make it the best. Enter: beer and cheese! Many enthusiasts claim that the tannins naturally found in wine, especially in a boisterous bottle of red, will coat your mouth and dull your taste buds, preventing you from fully appreciating the flavour of the cheese. The argument for beer is that rather than dulling your taste buds like some wines allegedly do, beer cuts through the coating of fat left in your mouth after consuming cheese, preventing your taste buds from being overwhelmed in richness, and preparing you for your next bite. Here are some classic beer and cheese pairings to get you started!

1. Chèvre and American Wheat Beers

Goat cheese, also known as Chèvre, is known for its subtle tang with a luxurious creaminess that comes together perfectly with any classic American wheat beer that traditionally contains flavours of cloves and bananas. This combination makes each sip and bite of cheese as indulgent as the last, without risking being overwhelmed with richness.

2. Cheddar and IPAs

With our DIY Farmhouse Cheddar kit, you can customize its flavours to your heart’s content, be it with garlic, smoke, or of course, beer! Cheddar is widely known as one of the best cheeses to pair with beer, specifically IPAs. IPAs work so well with Cheddar because the hoppiness naturally present in IPAs isn’t drowned out by the intensity of an aged Cheddar. For an optimal pairing, try to match the hoppiness of the IPA with the strength of the Cheddar. In other words, the longer the Cheddar has been aged, the hoppier the IPA should be!

3. Blue Cheese and Stout

Finally, blue cheeses such as Stilton are known for their richness, saltiness, acidity, and general funkiness that can accompany their flavour profile. A classic stout pairs excellently with blue cheese as stouts are quite heavy, and their creaminess and subtle sweetness balances the saltiness of blue cheeses.

Of course, there are hundreds of cheeses and beers in the world to pick from, so don’t be scared to experiment and see which pairings you like the most. Let us know in the comments what your favourite beer and cheese pairings are. Happy cheesemaking!