Wine isn't the only beverage that makes for a smart cheese pairing – beer and cheese can also be rather dandy – and the Italians know how to do beer. When done right, a beer and cheese pairing take both of the components to new heights. Here are Italian beer pairings for six types of Italian cheese.
1. Mozzarella
One of the most delicate types of cheese, mozzarella has a super fresh, milky flavor.
It needs a beer with similar characteristics, and there are none better than weiss with its
citrus and cereal scents. Baladin's Isaac has a flavor reminiscent of pepper and freshly cut grass — it seems to have been made specifically for mozzarella. Baladin, Piedmont
2. Fontina
Fontina's intense flavor and consistency call for a beer that’s refreshing and light, but teeming with character. The Dolomiti Pils Beer from Fabbrica in Pedavena is made with water from the Belluno mountains. It has a fine, compact foam and a round, elegant flavor. La Birreria Pedavena, The Dolomites
3. Montasio
Montasio grows more intense throughout the season. Pair one that’s semi-hard or older with a soft and aromatic beer. We like it with Ducato Brewkery's Winterlude, which has an intriguing, intense golden color, a high alcohol content (8.8%), and aromas of tropical fruit and candied sugar
with a herbaceous, bitter finish. Birrificio del Ducato, Parma
Photo: Riccardo Lettieri, Styling: Beatrice Prada
4. Pecorino
When it’s not aged long, Pecorino has an aromatic and savory flavor, which becomes spicy as it ages. It goes well with a lager — light with a moderately bitter finish. Try the combination with the
150° Bionda Premium Lager by Menabrea, fruity and floral, balanced and with only 4.8% alcohol.
Birra Menebrea, Piedmont
5. Gorgonzola
This blue cheese packs an explosion of flavor that requires an equally intense companion, so choose a strong, persistent, and full-bodied ale to go alongside Gorgonzola. Almond 22's Torbata has smoky aromas of leather, tobacco, and dried fruit as well as a softness reminiscent of chestnut honey and syrup-soaked fruit. Almond 22, Abruzzo
6. Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmigiano Reggiano needs no introduction. Choose a beer with a substantial alcohol percentage, like a bock, a style born in the Middle Ages in Lower Saxony. Birra Moretti's The Red is deep amber with raspberry, caramel, and candied fruit aromas, and a soft, full flavor that balances the cheese. Birra Moretti, Valle d'Aosta
