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
Did You Know?
-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
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
3-Year Cheddar Cheese & Hard Cider
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
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
Farmhouse Reserve Cheddar Cheese & 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
Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese & IPA
Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Lager
White Oak Cheddar Cheese & Hard Cider
Did you know?