Plenty of Taste, But No Camera

If ever there were a perfect day to stand around, socialize, and discover brilliant beer and cheese pairings, then Sunday was it. March 2nd, expected to be rather lionesque, gave us plenty of sunshine and a mild 60-degree high temperature that was more lamb-like than ever. That, and I forgot my camera, so no pictures at the moment (but I'm working on acquiring some from one of our guests).

To kick off the event, Steve and I developed an ordered list for the actual beer tasting, including which cheeses were recommended with each beer. Of course, we left the door open to experimentation with different combos, a few people being rather partial to the Black Diamond Aged Cheddar. I dare say this worked out even better than the first go-round, with plenty of crossover that yielded tasty results.

Just to give you some of the highlights, there were a few standout beer and cheese combinations that seemed entirely made for one another. For instance, the 2007 Brooklyn Monster barleywine with the Thomas Hoe Stilton was out of this world, with contrasting flavors that somehow seemed to meet in the middle, and the carbonation handling the transition from earthy and barnyardy to sweet and malty. Also, the Saison Dupont and Stilton matched quite well, and it even handled the Blue de Basque deftly.

The Anchor Liberty Ale, a fairly hoppy American pale ale, seemed to go splendidly with the Black Diamond Cheddar, with more of the fruity notes matching the citrus-like hop profile. The Hanssens Oude Gueuze tasted like a milder blend, but still potent, and paired nicely with the Stilton and Blue.

The biggest surprise, however, was the Left Hand Goosinator Doppelbock, primarily for its versatility. This beer could handle all four cheeses adequately, but really struck a chord with the earthy notes of the cave-aged Gruyere and the smoked bacon character of the Blue de Basque. We did add another beer into the mix last minute, the Aecht Schlenkerla Ur-Marzen Rauchbier, and this was mainly to provide a divergent take on the smoked beer category. But, it didn't seem to show the same nimble and accommodating nature that the Goosinator possessed.

Granted, pretty much every beer had a pleasing cheese counterpart to accompany it, so all were enjoyable. I think the ability to mix and match a little more for this gathering had something to do with that, and the fact that some people who aren't as, well, nerdy about this stuff as others were able to try some palate-changing pairings. Plus, it was a great day to just shoot the shit and talk about the beverage in our glasses. All in all, it was a success, and we look forward to putting on more of these in the near future.

Prosit!