Guide Pairing Cheese
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Guides › Pairing Cheese › Beer, cider and spirits

Beer, cider and spirits

Chapter 3 of 52 min readUpdated October 2026
In this guide
  1. 1How pairing works
  2. 2Wine
  3. 3Beer, cider and spirits
  4. 4Fruit, nuts, honey and jam
  5. 5Bread, crackers and charcuterie

Key takeaways

  • The same rule applies as with wine: match the strength of the drink to the cheese.
  • Lighter beers suit fresh cheeses, and dark, roasty beers suit strong ones like blue.
  • Cider is closer to wine than to beer, and it pairs well with Camembert and cheddar.
  • For whiskey, go from the lightest cheese and whiskey to the strongest.

Beer

Lighter beers such as pilsners and wheat beers suit young, fresh cheeses like goat cheese, ricotta and feta. Dark, roasty beers such as stouts, porters and brown ales stand up to strong blues like Gorgonzola and Stilton. Hoppy IPAs work with sharp or medium cheddar, where the bitterness of the hops cuts through the fat, but a very old cheddar can be too tangy next to one. Match the intensity of the beer to the cheese, as you would with wine.

Cider

Cider is made from fermented fruit juice, usually apple, and is closer to wine than to beer. A traditional pairing is Camembert with Normandy cider, and cheddar with English West Country cider. Both come from the same regions as the cheeses. A sparkling cider also works for the same reason sparkling wine does: the bubbles cleanse your palate.

Whiskey

The same idea applies. Start with the lightest cheese and the lightest whiskey, take a sniff, and have a small taste of the whiskey. Then take a bite of cheese and keep it in your mouth, and have another sip to see how the two flavors work together. Stronger cheeses can stand up to a good single malt.

Cheese and drinks at a glance

These are common pairings for the same everyday cheeses as the wine chart. They come from what brewers, cider makers and cheese writers recommend, so treat them as a starting point and trust your own taste. A glass means the drink suits that cheese. Tap the chart to see it full size.

Chart of which beers, ciders and whiskeys are commonly paired with 14 cheeses, with a glass wherever a drink suits the cheese. Beers, from lighter to darker: pilsner and lagers, wheat beer, saison, IPA or pale ale, brown or amber ale, stout or porter. Then cider, then whiskey. The full list by cheese is under the chart.
See the pairings as a list
  • Aged Gouda: Brown or amber ale, stout or porter, cider, whiskey
  • Cheddar: IPA or pale ale, brown or amber ale, cider, whiskey
  • Camembert: Saison, cider
  • Goat/Chevre: Wheat beer, saison, cider, whiskey
  • Parmesan: IPA or pale ale, brown or amber ale, stout or porter, whiskey
  • Blue: Stout or porter, cider, whiskey
  • Gruyere: Pilsner and lagers, stout or porter, cider
  • Brie: Saison, cider
  • Swiss: Pilsner and lagers
  • Havarti: Pilsner and lagers
  • Feta: Wheat beer
  • Manchego: Pilsner and lagers, cider
  • Provolone: IPA or pale ale
  • Mozzarella: Pilsner and lagers, wheat beer

Common questions about this chapter

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