Cheese and Beer Pairings - Sam Adams Fall Beer

I was able to squeeze in a cheese and beer pairing class before a busy weekend of packing, and it was just what I needed to relax a little. Samuel Adams featured their fall beers and they were all new to me.

Cheese lineup

Accoutrements

We kicked off the class with their version of Octoberfest, which was easy drinking beer with a low ABV and IBU.

The first beer was actually a cider by Angry Orchard, but even though it's called "Hop'n Mad", I really tasted all apple and not hops. I guess the hops are there to reduce the sweetness and give the cider a dryer finish. This was an amazing pairing with the Grafton Village 2-year raw milk cheddar. The sharpness of the cheese cut through the sweetness and in turn, the sweetness helped to tame down the sharpness. What bliss! Vermont knows their cheese!

Then the two were paired with the dark chocolate!!! Oh my goodness...

Next up was the first non-summery shandy that I've ever had. The Jack-o Traveler had a pumpkin flavor, but the shandy aspect added a citrusy finish. Also quite easy to drink without being overwhelmed by the pumpkin. I think it's a good way to ease into the pumpkin beer season. The cheese stood out again as I am a huge Gruyere fan. Another sharp cheese flavor took on the pumpkin and spice quite easily. These were paired with the caramelized walnuts.

The official pumpkin beer came next, Pumpkin Batch, but it was not your typical pumpkin since it's actually a saison. This had a little too much spice or perhaps the hoppiness bothered me. Luckily, the roasted red pepper creamy goat cheese came to the rescue and cut right through once again. Intense goaty flavor and the creaminess just melted in my mouth. I probably could eat a container of the cheese with a spoon! These were paired with marcona almonds, but the cheese stood alone on this one.

The last two beers were super hoppy with high IBUs, and their names say it all: Hoppy Red and Rebel Rouser Double IPA. Again, I credit the cheese as saving the day since it was hard for me to get past a taste or two of the beer.

This was the first time for me to try Champignon Cambozola, which is an interesting combination of camembert and gargonzola. While there were large mold lines like a regular blue cheese, the creaminess of the triple creme was like tasting butter. The blue aspect was very mild and was easily tamed by the spoonful of honey. Just divine.

The full flavored Cotswold from Britain easily gave off chives and onion in each bite, which was completely necessary to stand up to the double IPA. While the cheese was very much "in your face", the soft cheese was complex and delicious. The intensity was cut by the gerkins or baby sweet pickles. I could have made a meal of just those two as well!

Resources:

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

Samuel Adams = http://www.samueladams.com/

Cheese and Beer Pairings - 4 Hands

Thanks to 4 Hands' popularity (or perhaps it was the chance to hang out with me?), I was able to get quite a few friends out to this month's Cheese and Beer Pairing class.

Here are the cheeses for this month:

August Cheeses

Even better, I had my friend, Alisha, model the expert position for tasting cheese with beer at the same time!

Alisha eating cheese with a cheesy grin!

Now doesn't that make you want to sign up and join in on the fun?

Anyway, on to the tastings...

We were welcomed with 4 Hands' lightest beer, Single Speed, which also happens to be my favorite. Most of the beers from there got more and more hoppier as the night went on. Luckily, there were some very full flavored cheese to stand up to all the hops!

Send Help is an American blonde ale and any hops were quickly dismissed by the Ludwig Farmstead Creamery Kickapoo, which was more like a cheddar. One of the best cheeses of the night, and it was even better with the pear paste!

We quickly went to a heavier beer with the Cast Iron Oatmeal Brown. Now I know that this beer is low in alcohol and IBUs, but I really prefer this beer in winter. It was paired with a very heavy Marcoot Creamery Smoked Gouda, which totally coated my mouth with coffee and chocolate flavors. I think it even overwhelmed the beer! Putting it together with the caramelized pecans could not tame this cheese.

A more gentler pairing was the Centennial Red, the only local craft "red" that I've been able to find in St. Louis, with the Marcoot Creamery Cave Aged Gouda. A little bit of hops and a slightly aged cheese...a great combination.You certainly need an aged cheese to calm those hops down, but the cheese was even better with the fig spread. I dipped every bite of cheese in it!

Even though the IPA, Divided Sky, was not my most favorite beer, it definitely was perfectly paired with the Milton Creamery Prairie Breeze. This is one of my all time favorite "in the area" cheeses (actually from Milton, Iowa) since it is full of flavor like an aged cheddar. This cheese was able to stand up to the IPA and was paired with a plum paste. Oh my!

Unfortunately, the last cheese, Heartland Creamery Brimstone, was a bit too spicy for me, and I think it overpowered the hops in the Contact High. I feel like the citrus hops need to shine on their own more. But it worked out because we were all so full from the other cheeses already!

Accompaniments

Resources:

4 Hands = http://4handsbrewery.com/

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

Cheese and Beer Pairings - O'Fallon Brewery

O'Fallon Beer and cheeses

Accompaniments

This month's cheese and beer pairing at Dierbergs featured O'Fallon Brewery, which I didn't know that much about beyond their famous pumpkin beer in the fall and their "Wheach". The "Wheach" is exactly what it sounds like, a peach wheat beer that's very fruit forward and perfect for summer time. I thought the Manchego was a little dry to match the sweetness of the beer, but neither one overpowered the other for a nice balance. I also learned that the Manchego goes great with honey on top!

But even before the first beer, my favorite was the welcome beer, Kite Tail. As a cream ale, it's so easy drinking. Definitely a patio pounder!

The second beer was new to me, Hemp Hop Rye. To answer the first question you probably have, no, there is no THC in the beer. The amber ale uses toasted hemp seed to create a nutty flavor in the beer. There is only a mild hop flavor so this is very drinkable, and it was paired with a triple creme, LA Bonne Vie Rouge for a "bread and butter" taste together. I thought the sweet pickles on the side were a bit too overpowering though.

I had heard of the 5-Day IPA before and the five stands for the number of days the beer rests on top of hops. As per usual, the IPA was paired with a blue cheese as well as prosciutto.

Another newish beer by O'Fallon is "Zeke's Pale Ale", which again is only slightly hoppy and very easy to drink. This was paired with my all time favorite cheese, Midnight Moon by Cypress Grove. (It's about time they served this during a pairing class!!!!!!) Good thing the beer is mild enough to let the cheese shine on this one. And when it's decorated with fig paste on top....OH MY!!

I was impressed with the last beer, a Smoked Porter, since I had never tried one before and O'Fallon is among a few that make a smoked beer in the St. Louis area. The bigger flavor of this beer was paired with a peppercorn cheddar. The smoked beer did chill out the cheddar to balance it out, but the best part was the dark chocolate with the smoked beer!!

O'Fallon is almost finished with their new brewery and tasting room in Maryland Heights - should be open next month!

Resources:

O'Fallon Brewery = http://www.ofallonbrewery.com/

Dierbergs = http://www.dierbergs.com/