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