Last night I attended my first beer and cheese pairing (I’d love to go to a wine and cheese pairing, too!) at the establishment I work at. It was a lot of fun, and there were quite a few beers and cheeses to try. I’d actually tried all of the cheeses before (part of my job is cutting and wrapping cheese – yes, I cut the cheese.), but the beers were new to me.
The beer was from Perennial Artisan Ales out of St. Louis, Missouri - a new brewery that makes rare beers using locally made ingredients. They’re website seems to be having some trouble right now, so I can’t link to it or find out any more information.
Twenty of my closest burly man friends (not really, I didn’t know anyone and sat by myself) and I tried six flights of beer paired with cheese from our store.
And no, I didn’t finish every single glass of beer. I know my limitations. And no, I didn’t finish every single piece of cheese. I know my limitations.
This is a display of all of the cheeses we tried + local Askinosie chocolate.
1. English white stilton with mango & ginger. If you’re going to try a fruit stilton, this is the one. It’s our best selling flavor and probably my favorite. It’s a crumbly sweet cheese with a bite.
2. Fresh goat log. You all know how I feel about goat cheese. Love. It. Sometimes I eat goat cheese straight from the package with a spoon?
3. Barber’s Vintage English Cheddar: a sharp white cheddar with a dry texture. This one is a good cheese as well. Aged cheddars have so much more flavor.
4. Fenugreek gouda: a raw cow’s milk cheese with a hint of maple. This cheese is gouda! I love the maple flavor I get from the fenugreek.
5. Fourme d’Ambert Bleu: a cow’s milk blue from France. This was the only cheese I’m not a fan of. It’s a leeetttle bit too strong for me. I do like blue cheese though. But not by itself. If I’m cooking with it I like to use Maytag or Italian gorgonzola.
6. Askinosie Chocolate Savao Phillipines Bar. 77% dark chocolate. Oh baby. I love all dark chocolate, but especially Askinosie. It’s pretty amazing.
We started off with the Saison de Lis paired with the mango & ginger stilton. “A straw colored Belgian-style saison brewed with chamomile flowers. It’s fermented with a traditional saison yeast that imparts fruity and spicy notes that dovetail perfectly with the tea-like quality of the chamomile. This refreshing brew finishes dry and slightly tart.”
Followed by the Strawberry Rhubarb Tart paired with the fresh goat cheese. “It begins as a Belgian-style witbier, to which strawberries, rhubarb and Indian coriander are added. The result is a refreshingly tart and surprisingly citrusy beer with a subtle essence of strawberries.”
Hommel Bier paired with vintage white cheddar. “Hommel is a dry-hopped Belgian style pale ale which defies tradition by combining Pacific Northwest hops and American malts with Belgian yeast. Earthy hop aroma, spicy yeast character and slight orange notes flavor the beer.”
Peace Offering paired with fenugreek gouda. “An American brown ale brewed with a few hundred pounds of maple-roasted Missouri squash and a dash of cinnamon and clove. This unique brew has a bold, caramel body, and hints of floral, hop bitterness balanced with the savory squash notes.”
Heart of Gold paired with Fourme d’Ambert Bleu. “This well balance wheat wine has a creamy mouth feel, a big hop character and a rich, caramel malt finish. You’ll find that it’s surprisingly smooth for its strength (10% ABV).”
And finally, we ended the tasting with Abraxas paired with Askinosie chocolate. “An American imperial stout brewed to accentuate the sweet chocolate character and aged on cacao nibs, vanilla beans, freshly ground cinnamon sticks and ancho chili peppers.”
Whew. That was a lot of information to throw at ya. I hope you’re not asleep or gone by now. If you are, I understand. Cheese and beer pairing posts aren’t for everyone! I just wanted to share my evening and what I learned with you.
Honestly, I liked every single beer I tried. If I had to pick my favorites I’d probably pick the Saison de Lis and the Peace Offering. I thought the cheese pairing for those was spot on. If you live in the area and would like more information about the beer, cheese, or tastings, feel free to email me.
Okay, that’s all for today. Class is dismissed. I’ll be back with more dessert recipes soon. I’ve also been planning a cheese post for the future; I already took pictures. I’m not sure if you all would like that or not. Sometimes it’s just nice to give myself a little break from all of the desserts.
And by that I mean blogging about desserts – not eating desserts. Eating desserts never gets old. Never.
