Cheers to Cheese and Beer

There is a time and a place for a stick of string cheese and an ice cold Rainier, a handful of Colby Jack shreds and a PBR, some queso and a longneck Corona.  Cheese and beer have an inevitable union.  Pairing the products of two businesses within a block of each other, forty lucky locals were treated to a palate journey unlike any other at Cheers to Cheese and Beer.  Puyallup River Brewing's ales along with My Cheese Shoppe's treats made this an event to remember.  A few unplanned surprises even made their way to our table.  Put down your squeezy cheese folks and check out these fancy duos.



Pariing 1:  Paradise Blonde Saison with Coastal Chili Lime Cheddar.
Not a big Saison fan, I was interested to see how the cheese would help make this beer drinkable for me.  The subtle heat from this grainy cheddar complimented the coriander and lemon zest essence in the beer. As the beer came to room temperature, I even enjoyed it by itself.

Pairing 2:  Cucumber Lemon Saison with Lemon Stilton.
A small ball of lemon cheese sat on my plate.  A quick first taste revealed a sweet flavor, almost like that of a lemon flavored cream cheese blend.  Spread on a water cracker, the cheese was tasty.  This Saison was a quirky little devil.  While it wasn't my favorite sip of the night, I could see how using this as a base for a homemade Shandy would be unique.

Pairing 3:  Fryingpan Cascadian Red Ale with Huntsman
We first taste food with our eyes, and then with our memories.  A childhood full of blue cheese, which now might be considered child abuse, had me wincing at sight of the blue Stilton layered Huntsman.  I took an adventure bite of the cheddar side, which still hit me with too much blue.  One of our crew, on the other hand, finished off his own Huntsman, as well as mine, and even took home a slice.  The beer was a malt bomb with just a tad of bitter.  Best of both worlds.

Pairing 4:  Point Success Porter with Comte
This raw cow's milk creation caught my eye from the beginning.  A rectangle of aged cheese goodness was begging for a nibble.  Flavorful yet mild, it was well enjoyed alone or with a dried apricot.  Paired with this Porter, it had to have been one of my favorite duos of the night.  This cheese gently brought out the chocolate notes in the Porter without overpowering it.  A match made in beer cheese heaven.

Pairing 5:  Electron IPA with Double Gloucaster
Finally, an IPA for this patient hophead.  I made my way through two Saisons without complaint, but really could only think about getting some hops in my mouth.  This IPA delivered the right amount of bitter bite to work with the cheese.  A one made with full fat milk, the Double Gloucaster made an indulgently nutty appearance. 

Notable Special Somethings
As promised, Eric from Puyallup River Brewing said there there wouldn't be any shortage of tasty surprises.  The first was a baguette with goat cheese and lavender honey.  A unanimous favorite at our table, the honey gently glazed the mild goat cheese to give it just a touch of sweetness.  There wasn't a scrap left of this little treasure.  Our final beer of the night was a snifter of Meeker Street Madness, PRB's Barleywine.  That style of beer is a bit finicky, both for the drinker and the brewer.  Too hoppy, too sweet, or too much alcohol burn tends to be the result.  When it is done right, the beer knocks one out of the park.  In my opinion, PRB hit a homer!

Final Thoughts
Everybody's palate is unique.  One man's trash is another man's treasure.  Each attendee was able to find at least a few combinations that pleased their taste buds.  That's what is so great about beer.  And cheese.  So many choices.  So many opportunities for new discoveries.  Who would have thought that I would like a Comte...let alone a Saison?

 

www.puyallupriverbrewing.com                www.mycheeseshoppe.com