Ideal Cheese Shop Blog

A gastronomic revolution is taking place that challenges the supremacy of wine as the cheese pairing beverage of choice. As a partner with cheese, beer rarely lets us down.

Let’s say for example one day, you bought some beer and you want to buy some cheese to go with it. There are two things that you can do: First, you can choose to be very specific about the process and carefully pair the flavors in a particular type of beer with a specific type of cheese. Or, you can simply buy a few “safe” cheeses that are generally friendly to all types of beer. If you do not have the patience to get caught up in details, then perhaps option number two is for you. I recommend that you start your beer and cheese journey with Gouda cheese, because whatever beer you are having, there is no room for disappointment with this type of cheese.

Just like balloon skirts, politics, and diets, a number of cheeses go in and out of fashion. Even Holland’s best-known cheese, Gouda, has felt a decline in its reputation for quite some time. Sneering connoisseurs believe that this particular cheese is ridiculously bland, with a texture that only kids can appreciate, and has no character at all. But before you look down on this sweet and tasty little cheese, Gouda cheese has more than what meets the tongue.

It is true that Goudas are milder cheeses, with a smooth and buttery texture. However, that depends on how long it has been aged. You see, the shorter time the cheese is ripened, the softer and the creamier the cheese will be. Some purists who turn up their noses at young Goudas have far greater respect for the more mature relatives of the clan. Just like other more aged cheeses, aged Gouda tends to be harder in texture than young Gouda, almost the same texture as Parmigiano Reggiano. Aged Gouda has a complex flavor – an intense, butterscotch caramel, salty yet leaning on the sweet side taste – often described generally as caramelized of toffee-like.

And because of its exceptionally sweet taste, Gouda cheese is considered as the best pair for beer. Actually, beer is the de facto complement for cheese in several cultures all around the world. When you come to think of it, cheese and beer practically grew up together on the farm and the grain used to make beer is almost all the time the same as that which is fed to milk-animals that produce cheese. Aside from that, the flavors of beer and cheese – that earthly, yeasty, musty, fruity, rich, and floral taste – coincides in such a way that wine and cheese cannot.

Gouda cheese is salty-sweet, nutty, and sharp. What better way to wash down this flavorful cheese than with a refreshing swig of beer? Invite your friends over and pair your beer with Gouda cheese today!