T
here has never been a more rewarding
time to be a craft beer lover or a cheese
enthusiast—or, better yet, a fan of both. So
many possible pairing epiphanies, so little time. But
the fun is in the journey and the gradual building of
a knowledge base. With focused attention, you can
develop your own pairing theories and preferences.
To provide structure for your tastings, take a
systematic dive into these popular beer styles with
a few of the cheeses that love them.
Kölsch and Pilsner: These two styles are by no
means the same—kölsch is an ale, pilsner is a
lager—but both are light-bodied and low in alcohol
and largely work with the same cheeses. Both styles
are clear, crisp, quaffable beers that finish dry and
have moderate to moderately high carbonation.
Pilsners tend to have a somewhat maltier, bread-
dough aroma and relatively more, but still low,
hops bitterness.
Cheeses to try: Young, unripened cheeses like
fresh chèvre, marinated goat cheese, fresh brebis,
mozzarella, and burrata. The lively carbonation in
both beer styles makes them appealing with triple-
cream cheeses, too.
Wheat beer, Witbier, and Hefeweizen: These
types of wheat beer vary noticeably but all are
light, low in alcohol, and refreshing beers with
high carbonation. Despite the name, they are only
partly wheat, with barley typically accounting for
at least half the grain base. American wheat beer
is a subtle, fresh, low-IBU (International Bittering
Units, a measure of bitter compounds) summertime
brew that drinks easily on a hot day. Belgian-style
witbier may be spiced with dried orange peel and
coriander and have fruit aromas. German-style
hefeweizen is never spiced but the yeast used gives
it a banana-bread aroma.
Cheeses to try: fresh mozzarella or burrata,
feta, crescenza or stracchino, Mystic Cheese
Melinda Mae.
Cheers to Cheese and Beer
Fall is the perfect time to cross-promote
and sample craft beers with specialty cheeses.
BY JANET FLETCHER
Sweet Grass Dairy Griffin
PHOTO: JANET FLETCHER/PLANET CHEESE
20 SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM 20 SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM
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