Beer and Cheese Matching

  


Cheese and a beer are a classic combination, whether it’s Cheddar and ale in a British pub Ploughman’s Lunch or the American favourite pairing of pizza and beer.  When you bring together cheese and beer you often find that the tastes complement, or contrast with each other, and sometimes you may discover a completely new flavour combination.

The cliché is that wine goes with cheese – think of the round of wine and cheese parties we used to see as the height of sophistication in the 60’s.  (OK, perhaps you weren’t born then – so just take my word for it!)  The fact is that beer is far less acidic than wine so combining beer with cheese is more likely to produce a harmonious match.

There are no ‘right answers’ in the creating of food combinations – it’s all down to personal preferences.  So what follows is a set of ideas which may work well for most people, but feel free to adapt them to your own likes and dislikes – and please be sure to let us know what you have found to be successful.  Our suggestions are (of course) based on combinations with Adur Brewery beers, but if you don’t have access to a supply of our great local brew, check the beer descriptions page and substitute with a beer of similar character from craft brewers in your area.

 


A-Z of Cheese Matching

(Yes I know there are lots of letters missing from this cheesy alphabet, and I know there are many more cheeses which could fill the gaps, but I do have to make time for testing other recipes and beer research – oh yes, and sleep occasionally!  So let me know what’s your favourite cheese and which Adur beers you have found go best with it.)
 

  

Asiago and Parmesan:

 Asiago is pure-white, firm and somewhat grainy-textured cheese, with a full, sharp flavour, reminiscent of a Cheddar.  (You don’t often see it, but I had to include it so I could at least start with 'A'!).  Parmesan is buttery-gold, hard and crumbly. An Italian-style cheese that, when aged, has a distinctively sharp and piquant taste, as well as a rich, somewhat oily and crumbly texture. Young Parmesan is tangy and easily cut into chunks for tasting, while older Parmesan is most often grated. 
We have our own local variety, Twineham Grange Farmers Hand, employing the same traditional methods as the Italians, simply using English milk instead, which is higher in protein and butterfat.  The resulting cheese is one that many a celebrity chef has deemed to be sweeter and more palatable than the real thing.  (See Bookham’s in the Local Suppliers list)  Try it cut into small cubes and accompanied by Ropetackle Golden Ale or Velocity.
 

Brie:

A creamy, soft-ripened cheese that, when perfectly ripe, will be spreadable at room temperature. Sold in full wheels, or cut into wedges. A chalky centre indicates an immature Brie. Brie's rich taste has notes of both butter and woodland, reminiscent of mushrooms (especially when tasted with the white, edible rind).  Sample wedges of ripe Brie with fruits, such as grapes or figs, to heighten the contrast in flavours.  It needs a fruity ale so pair it with Merry Andrew or St Cuthman’s.
 

  

Cheddar:

 Mature Cheddar has a full, aromatic Cheddar nose and develops a nut-like flavour, while retaining its buttery richness.  Texture becomes drier and more crumbly with age.  Colour ranges from orange-gold to ivory.  A dark stout with a rich, toasty taste and deep colour from black and chocolate malts can stand up to assertive cheeses such as this, so pair it with Black William.  Or if you’re having it pub style, with some crusty, rustic bread, rich Sussex butter and a crunchy apple, you need a pub bitter, so switch to Velocity.
 		  

Gorgonzola and other Blue cheeses:

Gorgonzola is a veined Italian blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow's (or sometimes goat’s) milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a 'bite' from its blue veining. It has (allegedly) been made since 879 in the small town near Milan from which it takes its name, but only became marbled with the trademark edible greenish-blue mould in the eleventh century. It is frequently used in Italian cooking. Blue can be soft and spreadable, or firm and crumbly. Gorgonzola is an Italian-style veined cheese, with a buttery-yellow, tangy cow's milk base.  There are many other blue cheeses – we particularly like Stilton.  Try the Continental tradition of serving a platter of rich, blue cheeses with walnuts and pears.  The recommendation is to pair it with ‘a robust, yeasty ale in the Trappist brewing style’ – the description might have been written specifically for St Cuthman’s!  It’s better still if the beer has been aged so that it acquires the complex Madeira-like flavours which harmonise so well with the distinctive mould-ripened cheese taste.
 

Gruyère:

 A hard yellow cheese made from cow's milk, named after the town of Gruyères in Switzerland.  Before 2001, when Gruyère gained Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status as a Swiss cheese, some controversy existed whether French cheeses of a similar nature could also be labeled Gruyère. (French Gruyère-style cheeses include Comté and Beaufort.) French Gruyère-style cheeses must have holes according to French agricultural law, whereas Swiss Gruyère is a solid cheese with no holes. 
Gruyère (and its clones) is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavour that varies widely with age. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming with age more assertive, earthy, and complex.  Colour ranges from ivory to gold, and will be darker if it is smoked. Gruyère is generally known as one of the finest cheeses for baking, having a distinctive but not overpowering taste. In quiche, Gruyère adds savoury notes without overshadowing the other ingredients. It is a good melting cheese, particularly suited for fondues and is traditionally used in French onion soup, as well as in croque monsieur, the classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Gruyère is also used in chicken and veal cordon bleu.
It is a fine table cheese, and when grated, it is often used with salads and pastas.  If you have the type with holes in, thread some cubes on to pretzel sticks, to make cheese on edible sticks!  The honeyed taste in Ropetackle Golden Ale is perfect for the nutty sweetness of Gruyère  but you could also pair it with Merry Andrew for the latter’s fruitiness.
 		  

Herbs and Spices:

 Are added to many different cheeses to create new flavour varieties.  Most of these are strongly flavoured, and those with spices can be quite hot, so they need a robust, winter warmer style of beer to stand up to them and Merry Andrew fits the bill perfectly.  Alternatively, try Ropetackle Golden Ale with the spicy ones, as it has been found to be a particularly good accompaniment to curry.
 		  

Mascarpone:

A buttery soft spreadable Italian-style cheese, Mascarpone is sweet, fresh and versatile as an ingredient in desserts, soups, pastas, polenta, dips and more.  Mascarpone cheese, spread on whole-grain crisp bread (and topped with sliced radishes if you like them) makes a fast bar snack. Mascarpone calls for a complex fruity ale, so try it with Merry Andrew or St Cuthman’s.
 

Monterey Jack:

 An American semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk.  In its earliest form, Monterey Jack was made by the Mexican Franciscan friars of Monterey, California, during the 1800s, and the style is said to originate from Espinosa, Spain - that must be why it reminds me of Manchego Spanish cheese!  A Californian businessman by the name of David Jack first began to mass market the cheese.  He produced a mild, white cheese, which came to be known at first as "Jack's Cheese", and eventually "Monterey Jack". 
It’s widely used in cooking – just Google for ‘Monterey Jack recipes’.  Try a simple open sandwich of rye bread, topped with Monterey Jack and sliced onions with a smear of your favourite type of mustard (our own choice would be grainy Meaux from France or the sweet German 'Süsser Senf)  Monterey Jack has a mild, creamy, mellow flavour which is balanced well by Ropetackle Golden Ale or if you are using it with other more strongly flavoured ingredients, try Velocity instead.
 		  

Mozzarella:

 A generic term for several kinds of originally Italian cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting (hence the name; the Italian verb mozzare means "to cut").  That made from cow's milk is known as Mozzarella fior di latte whereas Mozzarella di Bufala is made from domesticated water buffalo milk and there’s also a smoked variety Mozzarella affumicata. 
It’s used in pizza and lasagna dishes, and you can arrange cubes of Mozzarella on skewers, interspersed with cherry tomatoes for a tasty and colourful appetizer. It’s ideal for salads – the simplest way being to slice it and arrange on a plate with sliced tomatoes and shreds of basil over which some rapeseed or olive oil has been drizzled.  (We’ve been having it like this for years and I’ve only just found out that this dish is officially called Insalata Caprese, which sounds much more impressive!)  
Mozzarella is usually packed in water for freshness. It has a delicate, milky flavour, porcelain white appearance, and springy texture. The sweet dairy flavours of fresh Mozzarella cries out for a contrast, so try it with Black William stout, or Merry Andrew for a more subtle match.
 

Smoked Cheese:

 The level and intensity of smoky flavour varies by brand and region of origin, but all smoked cheeses have a strong and distinctive flavour which needs a robust beer.  Black William’s roasted malt flavours complement smoked cheese very well, while Merry Andrew’s sweet start, fruity notes, and dry finish make an interesting contrast.
 		  

Zola:

OK, I’ve mainly included this so I could get to the end of the alphabet!  But it really is used as an abbreviation for Gorgonzola – q.v.  
 

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