Cheese & Beer by Janet Fletcher

If you have yet to experience the pleasure of cheese and beer together, or if you’re a strict believer in pairing cheese with wine and wine alone, here’s a book to open, widen, and/or convert your mindset. 

And if you’re already on the beer and cheese bandwagon, there’s no question that this is a book for you. 

I became a believer in beer and cheese about eight years ago, when I started getting geeky about pairing beverages with cheese. Leave it to Janet Fletcher, esteemed cheese professional and food writer, to present the many merits of the marriage in this comprehensive book on the subject. What’s great about this book is its thorough— yet concise— layout of beer styles. It’s actually as much of a primer on beer as it is on beer and cheese together.

The book is broken down into 23 different styles of beer. Within each of these sections, Fletcher offers notes on the style and beers to try. Then, she proposes cheese pairings based on pairing principals, which she also outlines in one section. She doesn’t hold back, either. Suggestions aren’t limited to standard, easy-to-find beers and cheeses. If you’re into esoteric picks, you’ll enjoy her departure from the normal cast of characters.

I’ve been reading Fletcher’s San Francisco Chronicle column, The Cheese Course, for many years. I love her informative voice and her enthusiasm for the subject. This book is engaging and super educational, and you’ll walk away with a great grasp on everything from what makes a lager a lager, why a hefeweizen goes so well with fresh cheese, how to turn beer and cheese into a dessert course, and where to search in the beer section if you’re trying to match the intensity of a blue cheese.

• Who wrote it: Janet Fletcher

• Who published it: Andrews McMeel

• Other highlights: A great beer and cheese index, a beer term glossary, and pretty cheese pictures. 

• Who would enjoy this book? Cheese lovers who enjoy pairing cheese with beverages. Wine and cheese enthusiasts looking to expand their tastes, or anyone who has yet to experience the joy of cheddar and IPA.

Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: Cheese & Beer by Janet Fletcher

• Visit the author’s website: Janet Fletcher

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.

(Images: Nora Singley)