| ere really a season for beer? I certainly enjoy | | | | Encased in a whitish, edible rind, bloomy cheeses |
| beer year round but find myself opting for a cold | | | | are often velvety, gooey with a mild flavor. Add |
| brew more often during warmer weather. This | | | | Brie, Camembert or Pierre-Robert to the cheese |
| time of year seems to call for lighter and more | | | | board for a decadent treat. |
| refreshing beverages but did you know beer just | | | | Peter’s Picks: Pilsner, with its balanced |
| may be the better beverage choice to enjoy with | | | | flavor and mildly bitter finish, washes the palate of |
| gourmet cheese? | | | | creamy, bloomy cheeses. Try Trumer Pils, Spaten |
| Beer, like wine, has something in common with | | | | Pils. |
| cheese. All of these products are pastoral and | | | | Cheese Type: Washed Rind |
| crafted using traditional methods that date back | | | | AKA “Stinky Cheeses”. During the |
| centuries. Wine, beer and cheese speak of a | | | | aging process, washed-rind cheeses are usually |
| particular culture, a place and a time. The | | | | bathed in a brine or washed with liquor such as |
| connection between beer and cheese is | | | | wine, beer or a spirits. It’s this brining |
| particularly strong since the animals milked for | | | | process that gives the cheese an aromatic quality. |
| cheese ate the grains used for brewing beer. | | | | Almost all have orange or reddish hued rinds. Not |
| It’s possible that your nose and palate | | | | mild and not sharp, washed rind cheeses are |
| may pick up similar flavor profiles. Putting aside | | | | full-flavored. Give Taleggio or Epoisses a taste. |
| their natural affinity, perhaps the most important | | | | Peter’s Picks: India Pale Ale (Blind Pig IPA, |
| reason to pair beer with cheese is that the | | | | Stone IPA) and Belgian-style Dark Strong ales |
| carbonation and brisk qualities of beer refresh the | | | | (Chimay Grande Reserve, Gouden Carolus Grand |
| mouth and wash away the tongue-coating | | | | Cru of the Emperor) have enough gusto to stand |
| richness of the cheese. Simply put, they taste | | | | up to the power of these cheeses. |
| good together. | | | | Cheese Type: Aged, Hard Cheeses |
| With the wide variety of domestic, imported, and | | | | As cheeses matures, it hardens and concentrates |
| craft beers now available, selecting the right one | | | | in flavor. Try our 3 Year Old Cheddar, Aged |
| can be just as overwhelming as choosing an | | | | Gouda and Piave. |
| appropriate wine. Fortunately, we have teamed up | | | | Peter’s Picks: A pint of English ale (Samuel |
| with Peter Estaniel, founder of Better Beer Blog ( | | | | Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, Newcastle Brown |
| to give us an assist. Take a look at our Gourmet | | | | Ale) is the traditional beverage of choice for |
| Cheese and Beer Pairing Guide for Peter’s | | | | Cheddar. The nutty and caramelized flavors of |
| recommendations for your next gourmet cheese | | | | aged Gouda and Piave match well with brown |
| and BEER tasting. | | | | ales, as well. |
| Cheese Type: Fresh | | | | Cheese Type: Blue |
| Fresh cheeses are not aged and usually are white | | | | The bluish-green veins give blue cheese its punch. |
| and light in flavor, smooth and sometimes tangy. | | | | Listed from strong to strongest in pungency are |
| Try chevre (goat cheese), buffalo mozzerella or | | | | creamy Gorgonzola, nutty Stilton and salty |
| feta. | | | | Roquefort. |
| Peter’s Picks: The light citrus character of | | | | Peter’s Picks: Intense cheeses like blues |
| White Beers (Unibroue Blanche de Chambly, | | | | can be tamed with sweet, fruity beers. For a |
| Wittekerke) and Wheat Beers (Erdinger Weissbier, | | | | unique treat, try a raspberry flavored beer like |
| Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier) marries well with | | | | Belgian Lambic (Lindemans Framboise) with blue |
| the lactic tang of fresh cheeses. | | | | cheese for dessert. |
| Cheese Type: Bloomy | | | | |