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- Pilsner
Urquell
- Aged
White Cheddar
Pilsner
Urquell is a classic Bohemian Pilsner from the original Pilsner brewery
in the Czech Republic. We paired this golden lager with a
delicious aged cheddar from England. The cheese was three years
old and had earthy, full flavors that were rich and complex; thus the
Pilsner was a bit too smooth and light in flavor for this cheese.
Cheddar gets a sharper taste the longer it matures, and it seems that a
spicy Belgian Blonde Ale might be a better match for this aged
cheese. Pilsner Urquell is a fantastic match for younger cheddars
with milder flavors.
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- Hoegaarden
Witbier
- French
Goat Cheese
Hoegaarden is
a remarkably light, refreshing ale with a surprising depth of flavors
and complexity (orange peel and coriander are added during the brewing
of this beer). It has a slightly sweet, honey character with
orange and herbal notes that are very appealing. The goat cheese
was an impressive match to the Hoegaarden -- the beer and cheese both
had an herbal tartness. The slight saltiness of the cheese also
highlighted the mineral/spicy character of the Witbier. This
would be a great combination to enjoy on a beautiful day in spring. |
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Fullers ESB
from London is the world classic English Strong Bitter and has flavors
of caramel, malt, and woody hops. Banon is a creamy,
unpasteurized, natural rind cheese from France that is wrapped in
chestnut leaves. The woody, nutty, herbal quality of the cheese
matched perfectly with the hoppy, malty character of the English Pale
Ale.
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- Dogwood
IPA
- Parmigiano
Reggiano
Dogwood India
Pale Ale (made in Atlanta, GA) exhibits a dry, mineral-like bitterness
the liberal use of American hops in the boil. What could be
better with this beer than a salty, mineraly, dry parmigiano cheese
from Italy? We were careful to select an authentic Parmigiano
Reggiano cheese that is very firm in texture, piquant in aroma, and
salty/crusty in flavor and mouthfeel. This beer and cheese
combination received some votes for best of the afternoon. |
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- Bigfoot
Barleywine
- Cabrales
This is not a
pairing for the faint of heart! The Bigfoot is from the Sierra
Nevada Brewery in Chico, CA and the Cabrales cheese hails from
Spain. Packed with a macho amount of malt, hops, and alcohol,
Bigfoot is known as one of the world's most intense and flavorful
strong ales. Likewise, Cabrales cheese is often described as
"mouth-numbingly intense," and this is definitely not an
overstatement. Cabrales is made from a blend of cow's, goat's,
and sheep's milks and is matured in caves in Spain until it is loaded
with blue molds. This cheese actually smoothed out the flavors of
the Bigfoot and made the beer taste mild! Having this combination
in your mouth at once makes for an experience you'll never
forget. This pairing was
voted as the best of the afternoon!
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- Rogue
Chocolate Stout
- Mascarpone
& Blackstrap Molasses
After all
these beers and cheeses, we were ready for dessert! Rogue beers
are produced at the beautiful Rogue Brewery in Newport, OR and are
widely known for their aggressive, West Coast flavors. The
Chocolate Stout has additions of real chocolate and is slightly sweet
and creamy. We added a hint of molasses to a tub of creamy
mascarpone cheese and created a wonderful complement to the beer.
This cheese is often used in desserts like tiramisu, and the bitter
chocolate character of the molasses melded perfectly with the similar
flavor profile of the beer. |
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