Choosing beer and cheese together must not be a riddle. When you understand some basic principles the whole thing becomes much more simple.
Here is the main point: intensity is most important. If one taste entirely dominates the other, it does not matter how well they theoretically match. Match strong, high-alcohol beer with something tender and fresh?
How to Match Beer and Cheese
No, that probably will not work. Strong cheese requires strong beer to keep its place. Light lager will be entirely covered by old cheddar, and similarly, extra-hoppy IPA will destroy something gentle and creamy as brick cheese.
Even so, pale and crisp pilsner match well with something mild as Muenster or Butterkäse.
What could surprise you is that beer indeed works better with cheese than wine, despite all those classical combinations. The bubbles in beer interface with the fat of the cheese and lift it off your tongue. That carbonation cuts the creamy aftertaste, cleaning your palate for the next bite.
Finding wine that perfectly clicks with cheese is a more diffcult way. Beer much more easily accomplishes that task.
Belgian-style beers love the bitterness of cheddar. And porters or stouts? They are perfect with creamy pepper jack heat and spice.
Clothbound cheddar also goes well with farmhouse ales, that strong, tangy cheese plays fine with the taste of the beer. The truth is, there does not exist only one right way to match beer and cheese.
Fresh kinds, as chèvre, ricotta or mozzarella, too easily fail because of wrong beer choice. Tender fresh mozzarella will have more sense with something light and crisp as lager. On the other hand, cheeses rich in milk, as triple creams, can carry higher ABV values.
Belgian-style tripel especially click with triple cream cheese.
Some combinations genuinely project when you try them. Clothbound cheddar with American IPA softens both and brings a strong golden aftertaste. Pepper jack with imperial stout tastes like spicy chili mole.
Tangy chèvre with lemony saison works as complementary duo, while salty blue cheese with sweet barleywine give a nice contrast. Rich, bold beers, as barleywines, Belgian dubbels or imperial stouts. Pair perfectly with blue cheese, because their strong malt sweetness balances the salty bite.
Strong Camembert works very well with sour beers. Also cheeses with washed rind work well with them, especially if the beer has some fruit character. That balances the weird smell by the aromatic sweetness of the beer.
Hard cheeses as Parmesan and Pecorino are wonderful with chocolate notes in beer. Saisons with goat cheese is another solid choice. Cooked or pressed cheeses combine fine with pale ale that has good body.
Good place for start is choosing one cheese or beer that already pleases you, and later search something that either completes it or plays with it in an interesting way.