Food pairing
Beer with goat's cheese
Tangy, lactic cheese with a fresh acidity quite unlike cow’s milk cheese.
Lactic, tangy and often chalky, with a distinctive barnyard note that is the point rather than a flaw.
That tang wants meeting rather than cutting. A dry, peppery beer with its own acidity bridges it; a malty one leaves the cheese sharp and exposed.
Goat's cheese narrows the field sharply, and one answer stands clear of the rest. Most beer falls down on at least one thing this dish demands. The attribute doing most of the work is acidity.
What to drink
Saison — excellent pairing
Both are dry, tangy and peppery. The saison’s acidity meets the cheese’s lactic sharpness rather than being made to taste flabby by it.
Gueuze — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Berliner Weisse — outstanding
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Australian sparkling ale — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Grisette — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Grodziskie — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Belgian single — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Cold IPA — strong
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
What not to drink
- Bock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Milkshake IPA — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Wee heavy — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.