The American Home Brewers Association recognizes 70 styles of beer. All beers have the same four basic ingredients. It’s simply a matter of innovation and passion for making the finest beers that separates one brewer from the next.

• Barley Malt Malt is to beer as milk is to cheese and grapes are to wine. It’s the essential, predominant ingredient in beer. Barley, or any cereal grain, gives beer its fullness, color, sweetness, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and alcoholic content.
• Hops A small plant that is a member of the nettle family, hops determine the degree of bitterness and provides aroma. Often specialty brewers will mix many different types of hops to define the flavor. Many brewmasters also use a variety of spices and herbs, in the tradition of the earliest home brewers.
• Yeast This microscopic, single cell, organism converts malt’s natural sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. There are top and bottom fermenting yeasts and some brewers closely guard the secret of what type they use. Water
• Water is paramount in brewing, contributing to the beer’s flavor, color, clarity and ability to hold a “head”.

Much like aging a premium cheese, or producing a fine wine, brewing a quality beer with a distinct personality is a craft unto itself. Today, there is no excuse for enduring bland, processed cheese or drinking mass-produced, watered-down beer. From rich dark stouts to refreshing pale ales, from spicy to fruity, smoky to herbal, somewhere out there is a brew for every taste and every occasion. To enhance the experience, Cabot offers a wide selection of tasty, all-natural cheeses to complement the new breed of American ales and lagers. With over 20 varieties, awardwinning Cabot prides itself on both its traditional, handcrafted, aged cheddars and its imaginative, groundbreaking flavored cheeses.

Whoever thought roasted garlic and herbs would combine delectably with cheddar or flavor a specialty beer? Just take a look at the scintillating pairings of Cabot cheeses and these first-class microbrews. The delightfully complex Five Peppercorn (winner of the World’s Best Flavored Cheese) highlights the nuances of a European Pilsner. An India Pale Ale, the pride of American microbrewers, cools the fiery Habanero. Private Stock, sharp and tangy, matches the complex nutty character of a Barley Wine. All of the pairings promise to whet the appetite and bring out the best in microbrews and Cabot. Explore the magical worlds of microbrews and Cabot cheese!