Beer and Food Pairing

When it comes to pairing cheese with an alcoholic beverage, most people think of wine. However, beer is actually an excellent choice for serving with cheese. I was skeptical at first, but after attending a seminar on cheese and beer pairings hosted by the Milk Board of Wisconsin, I'm a total convert. Cheese and beer do work well together!

What makes them perfect for pairing? Well, beer and cheese have a rich joint history. The grain used to make beer on farms or in monasteries was, in many cases, the same grain that was fed to the animals that produce the cheese. Beer and cheese can also take on similar flavor profiles; both can be described as earthy, yeasty, musty, carmeley, etc. Interested in learning more about this popular trend? Keep reading for tips on how to pair beer and cheese.

While I've dappled in food and wine pairings, I don't know very much about the emerging trend of pairing food with beer — until now. It turns out that the two are somewhat similar. Like with wine, there are a couple general rules to consider when pairing food and beer.

You should match strength to strength (strong beers with strong foods, light beers with light foods), look for flavors that complement each other (a beer with citrus notes will be good with fish because fish and citrus complement each other), and find similarities (a nutty ale will go with a nutty cheese).

Another way to pair food and beer is to look towards classic beer-drinking regions, like Germany, and consider its cuisine. If you're interested in experimenting with beer and food pairings at home, I've got six easy foods to start with. To see what they are, keep reading.

This story was written by member birdsflyinghigh and comes from the Savory Sights group in the YumSugar Community.

I have read non-stop in all of the cooking magazines about beer and food pairings. So last night my husband and I finally attended our first beer and food pairing at Fish in Sausalito. Fish is a great casual joint all about sustainable fishing, local products and, of course, really good food too! We had their prix fixe with four different courses and five different beers! Each course was delicious and well paired with each beer.

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