In a cheese-centric collaboration, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Cabot Creamery have unveiled The Perfect Pairing, a hazy pale ale made as “the perfect pairing” for sharp cheddar cheese, specifically Cabot Creamery’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese.
The Perfect Pairing is available exclusively in Dogfish Head’s new variety 12-pack of 12-oz. cans, The Off-Centered Party Pack.
Clocking in at 5.5% ABV, The Perfect Pairing is unfiltered and hop-forward, with juicy, citrusy notes of grapefruit and pineapple, the company reports. Hazy-golden in color, it features whey from Cabot Creamery, which contributes body and sweetness to the beer.
“The carbonation, light bitterness and balanced fruity flavors of The Perfect Pairing prepare and cleanse the palate in between bites of our creamy, tangy, bold Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese,” says Maegan Olsen, R&D food technologist at Cabot Creamery. “The Perfect Pairing shares some of the same DNA as Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar, with the use of Cabot’s whey permeate as a unique ingredient to the recipe. The collaboration was a natural fit (and extremely fun!) as Dogfish and Cabot both take the time to lovingly craft their products starting with the magical process of fermentation.”
Dogfish Head’s Off-Centered Party Pack includes a selection of four hop-centric beers. In addition to The Perfect Pairing, the Off-Centered Party Pack contains three, 12-oz. cans of each of the following beers. Recommended cheese pairings for each of variety pack’s beers are also included, courtesy of Cabot Creamery.
- 90 Minute IPA (9.0% ABV) Recommended cheese pairing: Habanero Cheddar
- 60 Minute IPA (6.0% ABV) Recommended cheese pairing: Cracked Peppercorn Cheddar
- Blue Hen Pilsner (4.8% ABV) Recommended cheese pairing: Pepper Jack
“Many folks think of pairing cheese with wine, but beer and cheese pairings can be just as complex and delicious,” says Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head founder and brewer. “We had a blast working alongside the folks at Cabot to create, from a sensory perspective, the perfect beer to pair with sharp cheddar cheese. With The Perfect Pairing, and Dogfish Head’s entire Off-Centered Party Pack, we want to open drinkers’ minds and palates to the intricacies of beer and cheese and introduce them to the culinary magic that can be found when you artfully combine the two.”
To track down an Off-Centered Party Pack, featuring The Perfect Pairing, check out Dogfish Head’s Fish Finder.
