Food pairing
Beer with washed-rind cheese
Pungent, sticky-rinded cheese with an aggressive savoury, almost meaty character.
Washing the rind in brine or spirit encourages bacteria that produce an aggressively savoury, almost meaty character, and a smell considerably stronger than the taste. Époisses, Munster and Taleggio all work this way, and they are the most assertive cheeses on any board.
Weight and sweetness are both needed to stand up to it. A bière de garde or a strong malty ale has the body to meet the richness and enough residual sugar to soften the salt. Delicate beer is annihilated, and very bitter beer turns metallic against the rind.
Washed-rind cheese rules a lot of beer out, but several beers do the job it needs equally well. Pick between them on preference — the reasons matter more than the order. The attribute doing most of the work is umami.
What to drink
Bière de Garde — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Tropical stout — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Oud Bruin — strong
Tartness resets the palate between mouthfuls, the way a squeeze of lemon does.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
American porter — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Czech dark lager — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Bock — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Old ale — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
Weizenbock — strong
Malt sweetness rounds off the salt rather than compounding it.
Caution: A richer dish than this beer can clear from the palate.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free stout — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Alcohol-free pale lager — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Grodziskie — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.