Beer and Cheese, a Match Made in Heaven

In the bad old days before the craft beer revolution there were events held throughout the country that paired wine and cheese. Some of those are still held to this day, but now that beer has come into its own, it is finally time to acknowledge that wine and cheese do not pair as well as that match made in heaven – beer and cheese.

“I’m a huge proponent of beer and cheese pairings,” said Michael Thomas of Schoolhouse Artisan Cheese in Egg Harbor. “If you ask 10 artisan cheesemakers what pairs best with their cheese, off the record they would tell you without hesitation of some sort of beer, and on the record, for the wine snobs, they would come up with something else. There are some great wines that pair with cheese, but most people are so hung up on that idea.”

Thomas was tasked by Door County Beer Fest organizers to come up with a couple of cheesemakers for the VIP event that kicks the fest off in Baileys Harbor on June 15.

“This was back in January,” he said. “The two that I chose, they’re not only great cheesemakers but have become personal friends as well. Marieke Penterman (of Holland’s Family Cheese in Thorp, Wis.) is a Dutch immigrant who makes a farmstead Gouda that is second to none in the world. Then I invited Chris Roelli (of Roelli Cheese Haus in Shullsburg, Wis.), who makes one of my favorite cheeses, the Dunbarton Blue, an English-style cheddar with just a hint of blue in it.”

Both agreed to be a part of the event, and shortly after that, both took home major awards for their cheeses, including a Best in Class for Roelli and his Dunbarton Blue, and Best in Show for Penterman’s aged Gouda at the 2013 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.

“So I told the organizers that I have a couple of rock stars for you,” Thomas said.

In addition to the two star cheesemakers, Sara Hill, culinary manager of cheese education for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, will help advance the idea that beer and cheese were meant for each other.

“There is so much in common between cheese and beer,” Hill said. “You can sit and savor flavors together, but there are actually three different flavors – beer, cheese and what happens in your mouth when they’re together.”

For her money, amber ale is the most cheese-friendly of beers.

“Cheese loves the roasty toastiness of amber ale,” she said.

But if you’re feeling more adventurous, try a cave-aged bleu cheese with a malty Scotch ale, porter or stout. “It’s just a wonderful mouth party,” she said.

And for the hoppy beers that are all the rage, Hill suggests a cheese with a lot of butterfat.

“Sheep milk has double the butterfat,” She said. “It coats the palate and mellows out the citrus piney notes from the hops.”

While the VIP beer fest event is sold out, you can throw your own beer and cheese tasting. Or you can sign up for the June 20 Summer Solstice Beer & Cheese Tasting to benefit The Ridges Sanctuary.

The tasting will feature two specialty beers from Hinterland Brewery of Green Bay and fresh goat cheeses from Door County Creamery. The event will be held at Cornerstone Pub, Baileys Harbor, at 8:30 p.m. The cost is $15.

Cheers to cheese and beer!