Recap: Will's and Roger's excellent beer and cheese pairing adventure.

First, Will "Lotsa Pasta Cheesemonger" Eaves and I met at the Public House to do the necessary research for our beer and cheese pairing, which took place earlier this week at Campbell's Gourmet Cottage in Louisville.

Having made the pairings, and now on site, Will had the tough job of prepping and arranging the nine cheeses. I had a cooler filled with beer, and a bottle opener. However, I was briefly useful and filled the baskets with crackers and bread.

Here is Will at work, as conveyed by the classroom monitors. The tasting went wonderfully, and we had a group of 16 in attendance. Owing to availability, a few changes were made, and these are reflected below.

EIGHT CHEESE AND BEER PAIRINGS

Delice de Bourgogne / rich and decadent triple cream cheese
Maredsous 10/ effervescent and deceptively strong Tripel from Belgium – Tripel, with triple cream cheese

Caciotta Dolce (goat cheese) / locally made semi-hard cheese from Sapori d'Italia, paired with peach and coriander jam
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale / made distinctively “American” by the liberal use of citrusy west coast Cascade hops

Cahill’s Farm Porter Aged Cheddar / Irish cheddar marbled with Porter beer
NABC Bob’s Old 15-B Porter / the style of dark ale that begat Irish stout, with notes of roast, chocolate and coffee

Widmer Farms Aged Brick / classic American washed rind cheese
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen / beechwood smoked amber lager from Bavaria

Epoisses / THE stinky French masterpiece
NABC Hoptimus / double strength India Pale Ale, brewed with 4 additions of bitter Nugget hops and citrusy Cascade to finish

Grand Cru Gruyere Surchoix / Wisconsin's excellent take on the Swiss classic
Saison Dupont / hoppy, peppery farmhouse golden ale from the French-speaking Belgian province of Hainaut

Chimay Fromage Bier / Belgian monastic cheese, washed in the monastery’s own Trappist ale
Chimay Premiere (red label) / classic Belgian monastic amber ale, certified Trappist

Moody Blue / light blue cheese smoked with sweet fruit woods
Kloster Ettaler Doppelbock / sturdy Bavarian dark lager originally formulated by monks as a dietary supplement for Lent

BONUS PAIRING

Red Dragon / Welsh cheddar laden with strong English mustard … "the dragon bites you back"
Cantillon Gueuze Lambic / THE funky Belgian masterpiece, naturally fermented with wild yeast

Original posting: Will's and Roger's excellent beer and cheese pairing adventure at Campbell's Gourmet Cottage, Monday, January 11.