As January continues, keep the New Year interesting by pairing a well-known international lager with Wisconsin-branded local cheeses.

This week’s Wisconsin Cheese Cupid “Pairing of the Week” is a Stella Artois with semi-soft Wisconsin Cheeses, such as Limburger, Butterkäse, and Swiss.

Stella Artois is a Belgian-style bottom-fermented pilsner with a full-bodied lager taste. This brew pours clear with an amber hue. The smell is hoppy, with sweet, grassy notes. A crisp taste is followed by a slight yeastiness with a bitter but pleasant finish.

Pair a pint of Stella with Country Castle Cheese Limburger by Chalet Cheese Cooperative, Cedar Grove Cheese Butterkäse,  and Roelli Cheese Swiss.

Limburger, a pungent, surface-ripened cheese, is the most famous of all Belgium cheeses. Country Castle Cheese Limburger, produced by Chalet Cheese Cooperative, remains the only U.S. produced Limburger. Enjoy this cheese the traditional way – a thick slice of Limburger and slices of raw onion, layered between two slices of dark rye bread – served with a cold lager.

Butterkäse originated in Germany, as an Alpine cheese, and has since become a notable Wisconsin Cheese. The Wisconsin Butterkäse from Cedar Grove Cheese Company is pale yellow and smooth with a mild, delicate taste. Established in 1878, Cedar Grove Cheese Company is well known for its variety of organic and specialty cheeses using only vegetarian, GMO-free ingredients. Cedar Grove Cheese has also implemented a “Living Machine,” using microbes and tropical plants, which is able to clean all the cheese factory’s washwater using natural and efficient processes.

Swiss Cheese is globally known for its strong, aromatic flavors and recognized as European in nature, though American cheesemakers are responsible for modernizing Swiss Cheese production. With the American advent of plastic packaging, which keeps moisture in but allows carbon dioxide to escape, it became possible to produce rindless Swiss Cheese. Wisconsin cheesemasters, Roelli Cheese, specializing in handcrafted Swiss for nearly 100 years, reopened its historic cheese factory in 2007. Roelli Cheese produces a whole milk, Shelf-Cured Swiss, as well as Ûberkäse, a cheese with the look of Brick and the taste of Baby Swiss. Swiss Cheese is full-flavored, buttery, nutty, and aged at least 60 days. Swiss Cheese is a delicious ingredient for casseroles, classic fondues, and potato dishes.