A new trend in cheese tastings is making its way into festivals and homes around the country. As reported in a recent edition of Cheese Market News, artisan cheese and beer pairings are becoming more common as consumers looks for exciting flavor pairings. This is especially true in California where pairing cheese and adult beverages is a tradition and the Golden State produces some of the best varieties of cheese that can complement the yeasty, earthy flavors of specialty beers.

California cheesemakers like Sierra Nevada Cheese Company and Marin French Cheese Co. have paired their artisan California cheeses with different microbrews.  "We are now seeing that the fruitiness, yeasty flavors, hops and even sharp flavors of Pilsners pair very well with the richness of our Camemberts and Brie cheeses," says Maxx Sherman, sales and marketing manager for Marin French Cheese Co.

As food-savvy people experiment more with the flavor profiles of different cheeses and beers, they are coming to find that wine is not the only beverage of choice to enjoy with artisan cheeses. They can even combine the two - farmstead producer Pedrozo Dairy & Cheese is using a local stout to produce a cheese they call "Stout Cow".

When planning for a cheese and beer pairing, an appealing  benefit of beer over wine is that each serving of beer is individually packaged and can be consumed in a short amount of time, whereas once a bottle of wine is opened,  it can lose flavor characteristics if not finished within two or three days.

St. Patrick's Day, arguably the biggest day for beer appreciation every year, is just around the corner. It's the ideal time to share this growing food trend with your friends. For information on California cheeses that you can pair with your favorite craft brews, visit www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com/rcc.