Hooked On Cheese: Summer Beer And Cheese Pairings, Part II

This is part two of a two-part story on cheese expert Raymond Hook's advice for choosing the best cheeses and accompanying beers for the summertime. For more seasonal recommendations, read Part I.

Here are four more fun (and perhaps shocking) pairings that'll be sure to help cheese lovers get their fix during the sweltering summer months. And if you think your palate is too refined to pair Coors Banquet Beer or Miller High Life with great cheeses, just try it. I guarantee that you'll be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!

Ommegang Witte Wheat Ale and Uplands Cheese's Pleasant Ridge Reserve
Belgian white ales may very well be the best beer category for cheese. The light and crisp witte is a New York beer brewed in the style of classic Belgian ales, and the Pleasant Ridge Reserve (three-time Best of Show winner at the American Cheese Society's annual competition) is a nutty, handmade cow's milk marvel. This is an all-star pairing.

Coors Banquet Beer and Franklin's Teleme
Mild, easy-to-drink Coors tall boys were my first beer, so they'll always remind me of summertime in Oklahoma. The Coors helps emphasize the citrus tang of Franklin's Teleme, a California original made by third-generation cheesemaker Franklin Peluso. This all-American pairing is a sure crowd-pleaser.

Brooklyn Brewery's Brooklyn Lager and Oveja Negra Organic Manchego
Brooklyn Lager has a slight bitterness and a green-hop linger, while the manchego has a distinctive flavor of the pastures of La Mancha where the sheep's milk comes from. The lager balances out the mild animal flavor of the cheese.

Miller High Life and Capriole Dairy's Wabash Cannonball
The Champagne of Beers (love that seven-ounce bottle!) is a remarkably refreshing lager. The Wabash Cannonball is a surface-ripened, ashed ball of tangy Indiana goat cheese that brings out Miller's crispness. This would be a spectacular addition to any pool party. 

You can follow Raymond's cheese adventures on Facebook, Twitter and his website. Additional reporting by Madeleine James.