Beer & Cabot Cheese Pairings

Cabot’s cooperative of farm families has been making the best cheddar in the world since 1919, and nothing pairs better with its bright, distinctive flavor than your favorite craft beer or hard cider.

Pairing Suggestions

Strive for balance by pairing flavors with similar intensities. For example, Belgian-style beers love Seriously Sharp cheddar’s bite, while porters and stouts revel in Pepper Jack’s creamy kick of spice & heat. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to pair beer with cheese. Let your taste buds be your guide and have fun. The best possible pairings are the ones that you find the most delicious!

Temperature: Cheese is at its best when served at room temperature. Pull your cheese out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to serving to bring out the richest flavor & best consistency. Your beer will also deliver its fullest flavor when it’s not ice cold.

Body: When you’re pairing, start with lighter cheeses and lower-alcohol beers before moving on to heavier tastes and higher-alcohol brews.

Contrast: Pair to complement, but also to contrast. For example, try a sharp cheddar with a malty, mellow brown ale. This will add an element of the unexpected to your pairings and create surprising new tastes.

While there are no hard-and-fast rules in pairing beer or hard cider with cheddar, these suggestions will help guide you on a perfect pairing adventure.

Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Pale Ale

Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and IPA Pairing

Extra Sharp cheddar is the classic bite of bold, naturally-aged cheddar & plays well with the light body and subtle fruity hop notes of a pale ale.

Did You Know?

Vermont Craft breweries generated more than $407,626.00 in overall revenue (Ranks 40th nationally) which translates to $820.84 per capita (ranks 1st nationally).
-2022, Brewers Association Economic Impact Report

Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Hard Cider

Vermont Sharp Cheddar is a smooth and approachable cheddar that pairs just right with a super-dry hard cider for a refreshing combo.

Did You Know?
Vermont is home to more than 45 cheesemakers and leads the country in cheese production per capita at over 145,000,000 pounds per year.

Horseradish Cheddar Cheese & Double IPA

Horseradish Cheddar Cheese and Double IPA

The big hop flavor of double IPAs require a bold cheese that can keep up. Cabot Horseradish Cheddar brings a kick of spice that compliments these bold hoppy beers.

Did You Know?

Vermont craft breweries produced 387,820 barrels of craft beer (ranks 18th) which translates to 24.2 gallons per 21+ aged adults (ranks 1st nationally).
-2022, Brewers Association Economic Impact Report

Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese & IPA

Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese and IPA Pairing

Seriously Sharp cheddar has a crumbly texture and sharp bite that holds it's own against the hop-forward bitterness of an IPA.

Did You Know?

The Alchemist, Hill Farmstead, and Lawson's Finest Liquids have become so popular that the route that leads between the three breweries is called the IPA Highway and is a popular destination for beer enthusiasts.

3-Year Cheddar Cheese & Hard Cider

Our 3-Year cheddar has a bold, distinct flavor that's perfectly cut and balanced by the hard cider’s hoppy sweetness.

Did You Know
As of 2020, Cheese sales comprised $650 million of Vermont's $1.3 billion annual dairy industry revenue, according to data collected by the state Agency of Agriculture and the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council.

Mild Cheddar Cheese & Belgian-Style

Our Mild Cheddar is a short-aged cheddar with a buttery, smooth flavor that pairs perfectly with a complex and refreshing Belgian-style wheat beer.

Did You Know?

Many varieties and styles of cheeses are made in Vermont including – cheddar, alpine and blues, and all their iterations. There are more than 150 varieties are available.

Pepper Jack Cheese & Stout or Porter

The spicy kick in Pepper Jack cheese balances perfectly with the smooth, toasted malt notes of darker, full-bodied beers like porters, stouts, and smoked beers.

Farmhouse Reserve Cheddar Cheese & Gose-Style

Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese and Gosé Pairing

The classic sharp cheddar flavor and slightly crumbly body of this Farmhouse Reserve lay the ideal foundation for the tang and pucker of a sour or gose-style.

Did You Know?
Vermont has been producing cheese since 1882 with the founding of Crowley Cheese Factory in Healdville, Vermont.

Habanero Cheddar Cheese & Amber Ale

The spicy kick in Habanero cheddar cheese balances perfectly with the flavorful, balanced taste of an amber ale.

Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese & IPA

Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese and IPA Pairing

Vermont Sharp Cheddar is rich and tangy and pairs just right with a bright, bitter IPA.

Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Lager

Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Lager

Seriously Sharp Cheddar is aged to a dense and slightly crumbly texture and an intense flavor that combines easily with a crisp, easy drinking pilsner beer.