The Hoppy Couple

Screw wine. We're in a recession, guys. Besides, people like beer better anyway. Stop showing off, and just throw a beer & cheese party!

There's nothing like a delicious brew and some flavorful cheese to set the mood for a casual get-together with friends. Nothing screams "we are unsnobby and fun-loving" louder than a shared interest in beer bellies and stinky breath. And it seems as though beer has been gaining increasing popularity as a better complement to cheese than vino—perhaps because, as Chris George, seasoned cheese monger at Neal's Yard Dairy, notes, unlike wine and cheese, "if a beer and cheese combo doesn't work, it's less offensive because it's not as strong." George, who hosts regular cheese tasting events at the London fromagerie, also acknowledges the obvious price gap as an incentive for boozing it. When you're talking £2 for a bottle of beer as opposed to £30 for a bottle of wine, "You can experiment more because it's not going to break the bank." [Insert typical recession statement here.] Beer it is.

George avoids giving any hard-and-fast advice for pairing specific beers and cheeses, and instead prefers to dispense some general knowledge and let people experiment for themselves to see what flavor combos they enjoy best. "Your palate can change," he adds. When pairing, however, you typically want to keep an eye out for a brew with lots of alcohol, body, and sweetness.

If you're a virgin to the beer and cheese scene, your safest bet may be to stick with George's top three cheese-friendly picks for your soiree. The most versatile beers, he recommends, are Indian pale ales (IPA), Chimay ales, and porter beers. IPA tends to be pale to medium-colored, very hoppy and not too bitter. Its light carbonation, additionally, is quite palate-cleansing, especially useful given the high fat content of cheese. Chimay and other Belgian beers are lovely companions for washed-rind cheeses—pink, sticky, pungent cheeses like Epoisses, Muenster, Taleggio and Gruyere, for instance. Dark, sweet beers high in alcohol (look for ones that are 8.5% ABV), like Skull Splitter, Old Tom malts and Christmas keg, contrast well with blue cheeses; a Porter beer (a dark ale that's not as sweet nor high in alcohol) is a bit more versatile.

If you'd like to indulge in a little sophistication, Lucy Saunders, the beer expert and chef behind beercook.com, suggests assembling a good selection of cheese from each category (four to six varieties of cheese) for your party, accompanied by mild, bland crackers, like water crackers or toast rounds. In general, she recommends starting with more subtle cheeses and light-bodied beer, progressing to more intense, flavorful pairings. Check out beercook.com for some sweet recommendations from Ms. Saunders.

And to cap off the night after finishing off one too many six-packs, how about a round of cheese charades? (Yes, it's exactly what you think it is...and it's amazing.)