If there’s one thing I love as much as good cheese, it’s good beer—and living in New England, there’s no shortage of either. For my blog series Beantown Beer + Cheese, I asked local brewers about their signature beers and cheese pairing recommendations.
Trailblazing Cambridge Brewing Company, founded by Phil Bannatyne in 1989, is a favorite Boston-area hangout. “The handful of microbreweries in the early 1990’s either produced English-style ales or German-style lagers. CBC was the first to produce styles of beer typically found in Belgium, and these beers had a more creative approach,” says brewmaster Will Meyers, who has been with the company since 1993.
Inspiration for CBC’s wide range of unique brews comes from many sources. “Sometimes we will just be joking around with silly beer names and something will stick, and sometimes we’ll have serious discussions about a particular ingredient which may be interesting to work with,” says Meyers.
Meyers is a big proponent of brew and curd pairings. “Beer loves and complements cheese, whereas wine often fails to connect in that one-plus-one-equals-three way that elevates both partners,” he says. He recommends CBC’s Tripel Threat as a go-to partner for cheese plates, but provided more specific matches as well:
CBC Weekapaug Gruit (6% ABV): This unhopped amber beer sips sweet and does well with Alpine-style cheeses.
Try it with:
CBC Sgt. Pepper (6% ABV): A farmhouse ale flavored with four types of peppercorns, Sgt. Pepper will leave your tongue tingling.
Try it with:
Blunderbuss Barleywine Ale (11.5% ABV): Blunderbuss is a seasonal dessert beer that packs a fruity, malty punch. “Pair it with a great Stilton, some nuts, and dried fruit,” Meyers says.
Try it with:
Visit Cambridge Brewing Company’s Kendall Square location any day of the week for a delicious meal and fresh-poured brew.
1 Kendall Sq.
Building 100
Cambridge, MA 02139
Kitchen Hours:
Mon.–Thurs. 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.
Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Sun. 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Last Call:
Sun.–Mon. 11 p.m.
Tue.–Thurs. 12 a.m.
Fri.–Sat. 12:45 a.m.
All photos from Cambridge Brewing Company.
Casey Walker
Casey Walker is a Boston-based writer, constantly scoping out new recipes and restaurants.
