Summary: great beer, great cheese, they go well together - a big winner.
The Cheese: Willamette Valley Cheese Co. "French Prarie (Brie)", pasteurized cow, Oregon, $13.99/lb. at Whole Foods in Portland.
I didn't feel too guilty about buying this cheese at a supermarket instead of a cheese shop because 1) I was buying the whole (tiny) wheel in the original dairy packaging, 2) it's a local product, and 3) Whole Foods seems to actually give a shit about the quality of what they sell.
I wasn't disappointed. Here is a shot of the unwrapped wheel:
Autopsy shot -- check the gooey goodness:
We loved this cheese. I tempered it for 2 hours so it was flowing a little, and the rind was slightly bitter, so I ended up cutting the lid off and we just went for it with crackers/knives/fingers. It had a tiny chalky (not as ripe) layer in the very center, which was a fun discovery.
Steve Jenkins pretty much trashes pasteurized milk brie in his Cheese Primer, but it was written a long time ago and he's talking about "factory" cheese, which this clearly isn't. I've never had "real" AOC raw-milk Brie, so I don't know what it's "supposed" to taste like, but this cheese is pretty great. It is creamy, salty, and tangy. There are some interesting grassy aromatic notes. The little wheel was the perfect size for two people to take down without feeling gross. I will definitely be looking to buy more of this when I see it.
The Beer: Full Sail "Black Gold Imperial Stout" 2009. Purchased at QFC market in Portland, OR for $10ish/750ml
The Belmont Station blog was hyping the rarity of this beer (as usual) so I was worried (as usual) that I'd never see a bottle since I didn't get over there on release day last month, but (as usual) there are still bottles to be found collecting dust on the shelves of suburban supermarkets. [Incidentally, QFC has seriously stepped up their craft beer offerings since I first started shopping there in 2004. Their selection now is almost as good as Whole Foods and New Seasons. Unfortunately their cheese case is still a joke.]
I was a little wary of this beer because their last bourbon-barrel aged beer, 2008's Top Sail porter, was pretty harsh. This one is much more balanced. It's oaky but not astringent, and the alcohol is not too hot. It also tastes like licorice to me. I was a little disappointed that the carbonation was low and there was not a thick brown head (tee hee). But we both liked it a lot.
The Pairing
I sort of planned this one - my theory was that the oaky/boozy/assertive beer would be a good contrast to the rich/creamy cheese, and it worked out very well. If you have access to either of these products I highly recommend them.
