Beer, Cheese and Food Pairings Chart

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After becoming an ACS CCP in 2013, I spent the next 5 years creating and compiling hundreds of documents to assist those sitting for the ACS CCP Exam and all Cheese Enthusiasts who wanted to increase their Cheese IQ.  These documents are all posted and linked here.

The Lady decided to do some extension research into what cheeses and foods, in general, might pair well with beer. Through the research, she learned a lot about beer – much she never knew as she is not a beer drinker. As a result, she and The Man went through the beer section at the local discount warehouse today and decided to buy a Samuel Adams “Sample” pack of their spring and summer beers. If she shares with me, I’ll post my own reviews of the beers they brought home…hic…

Style/Flavor	Cheese Pairings	Food Pairings Cuisine
Abbey	Triple Crème	Braised Beef; Short Ribs; Liver; Venison; Goose; Lamb; Thai
Altbier“Old Beer”	Camembert,Fontina	Roast Beef; Burritos; Real Mac n Cheese; Meatloaf; Steak; Burgers; Burritos; Fried Chicken; Steak; Game; Grilled Meat; Smoked Meats; Thai; German
American AmberLager	Parmesan;Cheddar;Jack	Jambalaya: Lasagna; Grilled Lamb; Pizza; Steak; Burgers; Fried Calamari; Roasted; BBQ Chicken; Chicken; Fried Chicken; Gumbo; Pizza; Thai; South American;
Barley Wine	Blue, Sharp Cheddar, Limburger; Gorgonzola; Blues; Sharp Cheddar;	Chocolate Cake
Biere de Garde	Asiago, Colby, Parmesan, Edam, Feta; Brick	Fish,Shellfish; Roasted Chicken; Lamb; Ostrich; Bouillabaisse; Salad; Shellfish; Indian; Middle Eastern
Bitter	Red Leicester	Meatloaf; Steak; Roast Beef; Roasted Chicken;
Bock	Camembert;Fontina; Gruyere; Emmenthal;	Roasted Chicken; Chocolate; Game; German
Brown Ale	Camembert;Fontina; Asiago, Colby, Parmesan, Gloucester; Aged Gouda; Cheshire	Venison; Pork; Grilled Lamb; Meatloaf; Burgers; Burritos; Roasted Chicken; Fried Chicken; BBQ Chicken; Chili; Gumbo; Beef Stew; Baked Ham; Steak; Chocolate; Beef; Pork; Cajun; BBQ
Doppelbock	Brie; Gouda; Havarti; Swiss; Camembert; Fontina; Limburger	Venison; Bacon with Savory Dishes; Goose; Prosciutto; Serrano; Bayonne; Salads with Blue Cheese; Chocolate; Game; German
Dortmunder Export	Brie; Gouda; Havarti; Swiss;	Ostrich; Fish; Gumbo; Baked Ham; Prosciutto; Serrano; Bayonne; Smoked Salmon; Poultry; Shellfish; Indian; German
Dubbel	Brie; Gouda; Havarti; Swiss; Limburger; Gorgonzola;Morbier	Braised Beef; Short Ribs; Liver; Bacon with Savory Dishes; Roasted Chicken; Goose; Steak; Chocolate; Beef;
Dunkle/Dunkles	Asiago, Colby, Parmesan,	Venison; Veal; Real Mac n Cheese; Meatloaf; Roasted Chicken; Salmon; Cajun; Chinese; Indian; German
ESB – Extra Special Bitter	Brie; Gouda; Havarti; Swiss; Asiago, Colby, Parmesan, Brick; Edam; Feta;	Game; Pork; Cajun-Style Shellfish
Gueuze	Brie; Gouda; Havarti; Swiss; Limburger; Gorgonzola; Blues; Sharp Cheddar;	Oysters; Smoked Salmon;
Hefeweizen	Brick; Edam; Feta; Chevre; Boursin Spreads	Salad; Fish; Poultry; Shellfish; Eggs Benedict; Cheese Omelets; German
Helles	Brie; Gouda; Havarti; Swiss;	Veal; Lobster; Ostrich; Fried Calamari; Chowder; Clams; Crab; Eggs; Baked Ham; Prosciutto; Serrano; Bayonne; Oysters; Salad; Pork; Indian; German
Imperial Stout	Aged Gouda; Parmesan; Cheddar	Ice Cream; Apple Pie; Brownies; Cheesecake; Chocolate; Pecan Pie; Beef; Grilled Meat;
IPA – India Pale Ale	Asiago, Colby, Parmesan, Monterey; Pepper Jack; Limburger; Gorgonzola; Blues; Sharp Cheddar; Brick; Edam; Feta	Jambalaya; Avocado; Burgers; Chili; Gumbo; Salmon; Salad; Fish; Game; Grilled Meat; Poultry; Shellfish; Indian; Thai; BBQ;
Kölsch	Monterey Jack; Brick	Fried Calamari; Bratwurst; Fish; Chowder; Clams; Eggs; Oysters; Salads; Pork; Shellfish; German
Lambic	Limburger; Gorgonzola; Blues; Sharp Cheddar;	Salad;
Marzenbier/Oktoberfest	Pepper Jack; Swiss; Emmenthal; Gruyere; Pepper Jack	Real Mac n Cheese; Meatloaf; Roasted Chicken; Baked Ham; Pizza; German
Old Ale	Brie; Gouda; Havarti; Swiss;	Venison; Roasted Lamb;
Oud Bruin – “Old Brown”	Camembert; Fontina	Chocolate; Grilled Meat;
Pale Ale	Camembert; Fontina; Monterey; Pepper Jack; Blues; Sharp Cheddar; Brick; Feta; Edam; Parmesan; Romano;	Jambalaya; Lasagna; Real Mac n Cheese; Meatloaf; Avocado;  Poultry; Steak; Roast Beef; Fish; Burritos; Burgers; Game; Fried Calamari; Roasted Chicken; Crab; Gumbo; Pizza; Salad; Shellfish; Cajun; Thai; Indian; Middle Eastern
Pilsner	Monterey; Pepper Jack; Blues; Sharp Cheddar; American Cheese (which is NOT really cheese); Muenster; Havarti;	Jambalaya; Lobster; Bass (Fish); Fried Calamari; Chowder; Clams; Baked Ham; Fish; Oysters; Salmon; Smoked Salmon; Grilled Meat; Poultry; Indian; Thai; German
Porter	Gruyere	Venison; Meatloaf; Brownies; Cheesecake; BBQ Chicken; Chocolate; Goose; Prosciutto; Shellfish; Serrano; Bayonne; Pecan Pie; Steak; Beef; Grilled Meat; Smoked Meats; BBQ; South American
Rauchbier “Smoked Beer”	Monterey; Pepper Jack; Blues; Sharp Cheddar;	Venison; Buffalo; Burritos; BBQ Chicken; Game; Chili; Grilled Meat; Smoked Salmon; Beef; Smoked Meats; Chinese; BBQ; German
Saison	Camembert; Fontina; Asiago, Colby, Parmesan, Limburger; Gorgonzola;	Veal;  Fish; Jambalaya; Fried Calamari; Salmon; Smoked Salmon; Smoked Trout; Salad; Poultry; Shellfish; Indian; Cajun; Thai
Schwarzbier – “Black Beer”	Muenster	Jambalaya; Grilled ; Bacon with Savory Dishes; Lamb; Burgers; Prosciutto; Serrano; Bayonne; Cajun; German
Scotch Ale	Brie; Gouda; Havarti; Swiss; Myzithra; Idiazabal	Venison; Roasted Lamb; Salmon; Smoked Meats
Stout	Dubliner; Cahill’s Original Irish Porter Cheese	Jambalaya; Grilled Lamb; Lobster; Pork; Grilled Meat; Cheesecake; Chili; Chocolate; Baked Ham; Prosciutto; Serrano; Bayonne; Oysters; Pecan Pie; Shellfish; Smoked Meats; BBQ; South American
Trappist	Triple Creme	Braised Beef; Short Ribs;Liver; Venison; Goose; Lamb
Tripel	Limburger; Gorgonzola; Blues; Sharp Cheddar;	Ostrich; Bouillabaisse; Baked Ham; Pork; Poultry; Mediterranean
Vienna Style	Pepper Jack	Pork; Poultry; German, South American
Weissel/Weissbier	Blues; Sharp Cheddar; Brick; Edam; Feta;	Lobster; Bacon and Eggs; Bass (Fish); Chowder; Crab; Eggs; Salads; Salmon; Smoked Salmon; Trout; Chinese; Thai
Weissbock	Humboldt Fog	Veal; Goose; Gumbo; Prosciutto; Serrano; Bayonne; Trout; Grilled Meat; Chinese; German
Witbier	Monterey; Pepper Jack; Brick; Edam; Feta; Chevre; Mascarpone	Lobster; Bacon and Eggs; Bass (Fish); Chowder; Crab; Eggs; Salads; Fish; Salmon; Smoked Salmon; Poultry; Shellfish;

 

From BeerAdvocate.com:

Pairing Tips:

• The more hop bitterness the beer has, the heartier or livelier the meal needs to be to hold its own. Don’t overwhelm your palate or meal and ruin what the chef was trying to achieve.
• Another general rule is keep sweet with sweet, and tart with tart. Try to keep your beer sweeter or tarter than the sweet or tart food on the plate. There are exceptions, like pairing drier robust beers with sweet chocolates.
• Throw all of the rules out the window and experiment with contrasting and complimentary pairings. Match foods with complimentary flavors, or try contrasting them and create a slew of unique results.
• For those of you who are bound to the wine pairing school of thought, think of ale as red wine and lager as white wine. Hoppy beers can also be used in place of a pairing that calls for an acidic wine. Though it honestly doesn’t matter, these tips might help you to convert your taste buds over to beer—or those of a friend—over to beer.
• Taste is very subjective and what works for one person might not work for another. If it tastes good to you, then go for it. However, also be open to suggestions, as these tend to come with some knowledge and possible palate enlightenment.

Sources:

Wikipedia.com

The Brewmaster’s Table by Garrett Oliver

BeerAdvocate.com

Barleypopmaker.info

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