Perfect Pairings
THEY’RE TASTY ON THEIR OWN, but together, the right selections of beer and cheese can unlock even more deliciousness and amplify what makes each of them great. For these pairings, we started with our 10 favorite Wisconsin beers and cheeses and found four that we thought tasted particularly great together. We hope you enjoy their contrasts and complements as much as we did.
1 The Reversal The Beer
Serendipity, fruit ale from New Glarus Brewing, New Glarus
The Cheese
Burrata, cow’s milk burrata from BelGioioso Cheese, Denmark/Green Bay
Why It Works
While most pairings have the beer tempering attributes of the cheese, the roles are flipped in this one. Serendipity, which is made with cranberries, cherries and apples, brings a ton of that fruit to the palate, along with an assertive, dry-finishing tartness. The yang to this yin is the soft, milky burrata – rich but delicate, almost like a fantastic cottage cheese – moderating the beer’s sweet/sour intensity.
2 Strong on Strong The Beer
Paradocs Red, imperial IPA from Raised Grain Brewing, Waukesha
The Cheese
Dunbarton Blue, a bandaged cow’s milk blue from Roelli Cheese Haus, Shullsburg
Why It Works
This pairing is fun because its whole ends up being far smoother than its intense, brash components. Paradocs is assertively bitter, with a piney hop character, but when it meets the super-salty Dunbarton, a sweet, fruity malt emerges, while the beer cuts the salt and the musty/ damp basement/ sweatsock flavor to reveal a savory, shiitake-like note.
3 Smooth Jazz The Beer
Riverwest Stein, amber lager from Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee
The Cheese
Plain Mature, aged cow’s milk Gouda from Marieke Gouda, Thorp
Why It Works
The cheese’s sharp saltiness up front gives way to a sweet, smooth finish – a parallel to the beer’s (relatively modest) hop bitterness up front and caramel-malt sweet finish. Riverwest Stein’s carbonation interplays nicely with the creamy, buttery richness of this Gouda, which is a standout cheese even on its own.
4 String Theory The Beer
Clawhammer, German pilsner from Door County Brewing, Baileys Harbor
The Cheese
Queso Oaxaca String Cheese from Cesar’s Cheese, Sheboygan Falls
Why It Works
The mildest of our quartet finds this salty, extra-milky mozzarella alongside a dry, crisp and moderately bitter beer. Texture is in play, too, with the bubbly pils playing nicely off of the pleasantly rubbery, almost curd-squeaky cheese.