Beer and Cheese?

Food Pairings.

I look forward to the arrival of my monthly issue of Food and Wine magazine. I know I will always find something that is new and interesting. In the October issue it was beer and cheese pairings. Now wine and cheese together is as common as peanut butter and jelly. But beer and cheese is a little more unexpected yet still sounds delicious.

The article by Andrew Myers of Washington DC’s CityZen gives you a fun, interesting beverage-food combo to try out at your next gathering. With football season upon us this would be a great way to incorporate a little surprise element into the normal beer and wings routine. Andrew says that the key to the pairings is a good fizzy beer which enhances the flavors in the cheese.

I will admit that football parties do not rank that high on my list of things for giving up my beloved lazy Sunday’s. However, if you were to tempt me with a plate of stinky cheese and fizzy beer…I’ll be there.

Here are the suggested pairings:

Hefeweizen with Goat Cheese - Hofbrau Munchen’s citrusy hefeweizen is a light German wheat beer that’s excellent with soft, tangy cheeses.

Brown Ale with Spanish Mahon - The nuttiness and hoppy flavor of Brooklyn Brewery’s brown ale pair well with mild cow’s-milk cheeses.

Imperial Stout with Blue Cheese - North Coast Brewing company’s chocolaty and deep Old Rasputin Russian is a hearty stout, perfect for stinky cheeses.