Ale Street News Online

Beer and Cheese, Cheese and Beer.

It hard for me to imagine a better partnership. But, perhaps there is one. What if one were to put…beer…in…the…cheese. Or something along those lines. Wow, I can now totally skip the beer drinking portion of my indulgence sessions. Wait, maybe not exactly. So how about it. Can one do that? Of, course.

Beer "in" the cheese can come in one of two forms (at least that’s what I’m going to write about). Soaking for a time to impart flavor and perhaps some color is one way. This is distinctly different than washing the rind of the cheese to convey microorganism inoculation (and stinkiness). Another is to mix beer in the milk as its being produced into cheese. The process, I’ve been told, is some sort of ancient Chinese secret.

Of the two, the former is far more preferred over the latter. That said, both forms combined are a minority in the cheese marketplace. There are, however, a few gems to be had.

Red Dragon is a Welsh-style cheese made with mustards seeds and Brown Ale. It comes with a red wax covering known as a "truckle", that holds in the moisture and the beer goodness. The mustard seeds give some interesting spiciness, but not too much heat. A brown ale would almost be too obvious, but almost any malty beer will do as long as it is not too powerful in alcohol or roastiness.

Another nugget is a new one to me from Fiscalini Farms. Crowned Hopscotch, it begins as their award-winning cheddar coupled with a strong Scotch Ale from Devil’s Canyon Brewing Co. Two months of marital bliss equals the delightful flavor of aged cheddar sharpness and Scotch Ale sweetness. Again, you can pick your poison for beers to enjoy this with. Maybe a hop/malt balance is needed as in an ESB or perhaps even a German Altbier.

I never thought I could "eat" beer, but I guess I can. Cahill’s Irish Porter Cheddar: The name alone conveys the best of both worlds. The flesh is unmistakable with its spheres of marbling. A light beige cheese surrounded by dark brown beer in a fruit cake sort of way. Sounds yummy?!? It actually is very good and guess what beer I would pick for this interesting provision. Porter or Stout is a shoe-in, but again anything malty would do nicely.

Patrick Jones is head brewer, Triumph Brewing Co.