Cheese and Beer Pairings - Goose Island

After switching things up last month with a wine and cheese pairing class, the cheese has been reunited with beer at Dierbergs featuring Goose Island and Wisconsin cheese.

Goose Island beer with Wisconsin Cheese

Before they were bought by AB, I would say I was a big Goose Island fan, but I haven't paid as much attention to them lately and part of that is from being with Patience and her bias. But, I will still order a Matilda or a Sofie since those are among some of my favorite beers. And I've always enjoyed a 312 (I still call it Three Twelve hehe) as an easy drinking light beer.

I actually learned a lot this class like Goose Island only makes ales, not lagers. And the fourth largest animal source where cheese comes from is water buffalo!

Anyway, the 312 ended up as our welcome beer since it is so light with low ABV and IBU. It's easy to drink this all summer long.

Kicking off the pairings was another light beer, the Summer Ale, which has a little more kick to it due to a slightly higher IBU. But once you pari it with the creamy Carr Valley Fontina, you hardly notice. The accompaniment along with this was a sweet apricot paste. This was probably my favorite pairing due to the creaminess of the cheese.

Next up was the Honker's Ale and I did not realize this had been their flagship beer before expanding into other flavors. As another lighter beer, I found it very easy to drink and I enjoyed the Satori Bellavitano Gold with it since it was a dry cheese. It tasted like a cheddar and a parmesan combined and is definitely a good grating cheese. These richer flavors went well with a salty salami as the accompaniment.

The IPA came in the middle, and not at the end. Luckily, it was paired with a Carr Valley Menage, meaning it was a blend of sheep, goat, and cow's milk, giving it a barnyard, full flavor. It helped to dissapate the hoppiness of the beer and I enjoyed dunking this cheese into a fig jelly.

My favorite beer, Matilda, was served next and since it has such a complex flavor full of baking spices, a heartier cheese was served with it. The Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve reminded me a lot of my aged favorite, Midnight Moon. It helped to stand up to the beer for sure. To stand up to both of them, a spicier jelly was offered on the side, but it had too much kick for me.

I had not tried the 312 Pale Ale before and this was not as hoppy as other Pale Ale's I've had. Unfortunately, this was paired with a Emmi Roth Buttermilk Blue and although the Cheese Expert said it was mild, it really overwhelmed the milder beer. On the other hand, milk chocolate was served as the accompaniment and that helped, but I did have to pass the cheese to Patience in this case.

Next month...4 Hands!

Resources:

Dierbergs Cooking School = http://www.dierbergs.com/School

Goose Island = http://www.gooseisland.com/