Cheese Glorious Cheese

Isn't it amazing how much cheese there is in the world. Isn't also incredible the selections of beer that are available to us, usually not to very far from the cheese in the store you shop at. I am sure the only reason is that they are both generally refrigerated, but imagine if you will, it was because they go so well together.

People generally associate cheese to go with wine, but if you ask me (and countless others out there) beer is better, with cheese and in general. I read in an article not to long ago about how the biological relationships between beer and cheese are actually quite close. Beer is essentially steeped grains that ferment, lets call this aging, into a delicious beverage. Cheese is a product of animals who generally survive on the consumption of grains, which quite often, is aged, we'll call this fermentation.

Another reason that beer and cheese go so well together is the carbonation of the beer. Cheese is an oily substance, and oil is difficult to remove. Some cheeses create an seemingly impenetrable barrier on your tongue when you eat them. Sometimes you actually have to scrape the cheese off of your tongue, if you've had this cheese you know what I am talking about. Well the carbonation in beer can actually act as a cleanser for your tongue which allows you to taste the next cheese or beer. Think of it as scrubbing bubbles clearing a clogged pipe and allowing the taste receptacles in your mouth to start letting the good stuff in. Okay that was a stretch, but I hope you get the idea.

As I mentioned before there are many types of cheeses and many types of beers, to say that one cheese goes best with a certain beer is ridiculous. Everyone has a different idea of what tastes good, so it is up to you to figure out what you like. But just because you find one that you like, you shouldn't stop there. Keep on trying things out, you'll never know if you've hit gold unless you start digging.

Here are some successful beer and cheese pairings:

Goat cheeses that have some age, try a Belgian style saison

Pecorino and other aged sheep's milk cheeses with salty nutty flavors, try brown ales

Soft ripened triple creme cheeses, try a Belgian style or beers with a hint of fruit

Fresh Chevre or fresh mozzarella, try wheat beers or pilsners

Classic English style Cheddars, try pale ales with abundant hops

Aged Gouda, try paring with brown ales or porters

With Gruyere and Swiss style cheese, try porters, stouts, or brown ales

Stilton or other strong blue cheeses, pair them with a barleywine

In general it is safe to say that if you pair blue cheeses with strong sweet beers, aged cheeses with malty beers, sharp cheeses with highly hopped beer, and fresh cheeses with delicate beers, you should be just fine.

Now stop reading and start trying out different combinations. Please write to me and let me know of any combinations that you have tried and want to share. I would love to try them all.