Over the past few weeks, we've had several people ask us about which beers are good to pair with various foods.
For those unfamiliar with beer and food pairings, or who may cringe at the thought of wedding the two, it's actually quite easy and can have wonderful results that will send your taste buds on a journey.
One of our favorite foods to pair beer with is cheese. There are some breweries that even have cheeses available during the tasting session after the brewery tour. Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, Otsego County, goes so far as to offer cheeses that complement their beer, as well as cheese spreads that have their beer as an ingredient for purchase. The history of beer and cheese goes back to the Middle Ages in Belgium where monasteries would offer both to the monks as part of their diet. Some monasteries even sold the cheese they made for profit, much like they did with their beer. Reminders of the old days are still present in Belgium, and some pubs still serve cheese with beer. In England, there are pubs that also still dish out a menu item similar to what a farmer might eat — beer, cheese and some cold meat.
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