The Beer & Cheese Project

BCP#5 - Chimay Red & Frisian Farms Aged Gouda

The cheese:  Frisian Farms Aged Gouda, cow, Iowa.  About $19/# from Steve's Cheese.

Milder than some of the Dutch Goudas I've had, this one was still pretty complex and great.  It comes from Steve's hometown of Oskaloosa, IA, so, you know, there's that.  The rind is firm and orange but not all weird and waxy like some Goudas.  A few little funny-shaped holes.  The texture was sort of cheddar-ish, but I'm sure this varies with age.  The flavor is nutty and the whole scene sort of reminded me of Pleasant Ridge Reserve, which is to say, Gruyere-ish.  I'd like to say I can rattle off the differences between Gruyere and Gouda, but I can't.  They seem pretty similar, until the Gouda gets dry and crazy caramely after lots of aging.  My 4-year-old daughter, who usually ignores the cheese tray, started snarfing the hell out of this and had a minor hissy when I pulled back a few slices for myself.  So I guess you could say it's a crowd-pleaser.  Not too challenging but plenty to offer, and inexpensive as artisan cheeses go.

The beer: Chimay Red.  Belgian trappist ale.  I think I got this one as a birthday gift.

If you've given a shit about real beer for a while, you're probably familiar with this one already as it's everywhere.  If you're new to real beer, you should check it out.  It is a great "starter" Belgian beer, as it gives you a good dose of funk from the Belgian yeasts but not too much, and well balanced by sweetness and spice.  This one is successful and popular because it's good.  No Super Bowl ads or air race sponsorships required.

This pairing was really positive.  Both elements are assertive, but not overly, so they were evenly-matched and played well together. 

BCP#3 - Full Sail "Black Gold Imperial Stout" 2009 & Willamette Valley Cheese Co. "French Prarie (Brie)"

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.

BCP #1: Pelican "Grand Cru" & Ancient Heritage "Adelle"

The Cheese:  Adelle
                    Pasteurized Cow & Sheep
                    Ancient Heritage Dairy, Scio, OR
                    Purchased at New Seasons Market, Beaverton, OR

The Beer:      Pelican Grand Cru 2007
                    Pelican Brewery, Pacific City, OR
                    Purchased at the brewery, $15 for 750ml

 

Kickass pairing, which is what I wanted to start with - the beer and the cheese are both great and they are great together.  I think you can only get the beer in Pac City.  It's fizzy and dark and malty.  The cheese is way better than imported brie.  I cut the top off and we scooped it out with butter knives and straight woofed it.  I think it would've gotten gooier over time, but it was good to go at just under 1 month old.  As they say on khymos, "these go really well together".