Cheese and Beer Pairing Tips From Steve Jones of Portland's Cheese Bar | culture: the word on cheese
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Cheese and Beer Pairing Tips From Steve Jones of Portland’s Cheese Bar


Beer and cheese pairings are getting more and more press these days, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. They’re a natural pairing, and how can you be upset when you’re noshing cheese and sipping a great beer? Perhaps no one understands this better than Steve Jones of Portland, Oregeon’s Cheese Bar, a  shop that sells cheese and the beers that complement it. Read his pairing tips below on Serious Eats.

The three aspects I try to think about when pairing beer with cheese are Comparative, Contrasting, and Regional. Comparative, I’m hitting acid with acid. Contrasting, I’m hitting that big chocolate stout with a fat, creamy cheese. And Regional, it goes back to the phrase “If it grows together it goes together,” and that’s quite often true, especially with cheese and beer. The closer a cheesemaker and brewer are, the more their matches seem to work. It’s really odd, but you see it again and again.

Read more on Serious Eats

Photo by Adam Lindsley

Rebecca Haley-Park

Rebecca Haley-Park is culture's former editor and resident stinky cheese cheerleader. A native New Englander, she holds a BFA in creative writing from University of Maine at Farmington.

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