The One Rule Beer Experts Swear By When Pairing Beer and Cheese

Here are their general tips, as well as a few must-try pairings.

By Maggie Hoffman

Maggie Hoffman Maggie Hoffman is a longtime food and drink expert whose recipes and cocktail-making tips can be found on her newsletters What to Drink and The Dinner Plan. She is the author of The One-Bottle Cocktail and Batch Cocktails, both published by Ten Speed Press.

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Published on October 25, 2026

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“If I were to say, ‘Fill in the blank: Cheese and ______’, most people would say ‘crackers’ right away. Well, beer is made from the same ingredients as crackers (plus a few extras), so to me it just makes sense to put them together,” says Jesse Vallins, Certified Cicerone and Executive Chef at The Saint Tavern in Toronto. But of course, when it comes to beer and cheese, some matches turn out tastier than others.

A few basic guidelines can help guide your choices.…