The pairing of beer and cheese is something I've always suspected would be good, though I never officially tried it myself. I'm not a big beer aficionado (aficionada?), but it seems to me that the variety in beer, from the clean crisp Hefeweizens to the dark, rich and creamy Guinesses would be a great accompanyment to cheese.
Sure enough, I encountered an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that explores beer and cheese pairing: "BEER & CHEESE
Forget wine and cheese parties -- the true soul mate for fromage isn't made from grape juice".
Well, Janet Fletcher, I don't think I'd go that far. To me, wine will always be the better mate. But the concept of beer and cheese is intriguing, and opens up a whole new venue of enjoying cheese.
The article encourages pairing beer in harmony to cheese, rather as a contrast, as in the case with wine. For instance, they suggest that a rich porter's carmel and coffeeness enhance and echo an aged gruyere. Or try a bitter India Pale Ale with a high-acid ceddar. They list a number of other suggestions as well, put together by several local beer experts.
I suppose this shouldn't really come as any great surprise. After all, back in the day when people would drink ale like water, they were probably eating cheese, too. And any beverage that has good, full flavor will do well to accompany cheese. Beer, however, does not carry the same dryness as wine, which I enjoy with cheese.
But next time you bust out with the beers for your superbowl party, consider arranging a nice cheese plate to accompany it!