Cows Don’t Eat Grapes

Any beer advocate can tell you that beer and cheese go together like peas and carrots, if not better. My gut, in all of its distended glory, stands as a testament to that fact. Across the country and across the ocean, however, several specialty cheesemakers and world-class breweries have teamed up to take it a step further by actually using beer as an ingredient in their finished fromage.

Just as the microbrew revolution has been slowly garnering attention over the past two decades, so too has the world of artisan cheese.

My first exposure to beer being used in cheesemaking came about several years ago, when I took an internship at New Jersey’s Bobolink Dairy, a small, family-owned creamery that takes pride in making pure, unadulterated, honest cheese. Using only raw milk (milk that has not been pasteurized) from their grass-fed herd, they produce some of the most flavorful cheeses I’ve tasted to date.

While I really enjoyed all of their selections, it was their “Bobolink-Forêt” cheese that really caught my attention. These lucky wheels of ripening curd are actually bathed and lathered with Forêt, the eponymous organic Belgian Saison from Brasserie Dupont in Tourpes. This style of cheese, known as a “washed rind” cheese, gets a piquant flavor that is bold, but strangely tastes little like beer. Owner and maître fromager Jonathan White explains, “The cheese is not hoppy or malty, or in any way ‘beer flavored.’ In fact, of all my cheeses, my ale-washed cheese is one of the few that is better with wine than beer, in my opinion. The ale alters the microbial alchemy of the cheese’s maturation, but the cheese is definitely not a beer-flavored cheese!”

Vermont’s celebrated Jasper Hill Farm also turns out a seasonal washed-rind cheese called Winnimere. Soaked in a spontaneously fermented Lambic made at the creamery by a friend with a knack for homebrewing, Winnimere is also wrapped in a thin piece of spruce stripped from the trees lining the property, which contributes its own woodsy flavor to the ripening rounds. Across the pond, the Trappist monks behind Belgium’s famed Chimay beers also turn out several cheeses, one of which, appropriately called Chimay à la Bière, is given a sudsy helping of the Abbey ale.

Washed What?
Washed-rind cheeses have been around for centuries, and can be bathed in a multitude of liquids including beer, brine, brandy or wine. Cheeses like Époisses de Bourgogne, Limburger, Taleggio and Vacherin are all classic examples of the style. Their intrinsic fruity, nutty and, well, slightly stinky profiles come from a bacterial ripening process catalyzed by the booze bath.

Left to ripen normally, these soft, high-moisture cheeses would attract an array of white, bloomy molds, just as you would see on a traditional Brie or Camembert. By brushing the wheels with beer, the cheesemaker is introducing alcohol and hops to the equation, which not only hinders the growth of mold, but also allows colonies of yeast and bacteria to proliferate on the surface, creating the aforementioned flavor spectrum.

The array of tastes present in cheeses can often be grainy, nutty, caramelly, bready, grassy or fruity—flavor profiles also common to beer, which helps explain their natural affinity for one another. The carbonation present in beer also acts as a palate cleanser, wiping your tongue clean of the heavy flavors of the cheese, allowing you to taste each bite as if it were the first. The hops in the beer used may also contribute some of their floral or spicy bouquets to the cheese, and their bittering components add to the overall mouthfeel while helping accent the sharp flavors present in many cheddars.

Rather than using beer in their cheese, Malvern Cheesewrights in Gloucestershire, England, ages their wheels of Hereford Hop with a coating of toasted hops that produces a slight yeasty, citrusy layer of flavor heavy on lemon that contrasts well with the buttery interior of the cheese.

The Tale of Two Rogues
Taking a different approach (as they so often do), the good folks at Rogue Ales in Newport, Ore., have partnered with Rogue Creamery of Central Point, Ore., to turn out two cheddars—one made with Rogue Chocolate Stout, the other with Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale. Rogue Creamery, a family-owned artisan dairy most famous for their delectable raw-milk blue cheeses, began working with Rogue Ales in 2002. In making the cheeses, Rogue Creamery introduces the beer after the curds have been hand-milled and salted, imparting its flavor and streaks of color, giving the finished pressed blocks a marbled appearance that is as interesting to look at as it is to taste.

Similar cheeses can be found mass produced, but often contain artificial flavors and colors. While Bobolink’s cheese may be better paired with a wine, Rogue Ales President Brett Joyce believes the Rogue cheeses ought to be enjoyed best with a brew. “The perfect pairing is one which enhances flavor characteristics in both beer and cheese, and when combined, it is a truly remarkable experience,” he says. “Both cheddars are perfect stand-alone or as a topper to a burger, or the main ingredient to a grilled cheese sandwich combined with a Rogue beer.”

Francis Plowman, director of marketing at Rogue Creamery, states as a simple matter of fact, “Cows don’t eat grapes,” perhaps explaining why pairing their cheeses with beer may be preferred to wine. Because the cows’ diets at many smaller artisan dairies are predominantly grass and hay based versus commercial livestock feed, the milk and ultimately the cheese often have richer flavors, and will contain aspects reflective of the local terroir.

At the Rogue Creamery store, most customers are eager to sample the beer cheeses, especially kids and teens excited to be getting away with what they mistakenly believe to be illicit behavior right in front of their parents’ eyes. And while some customers may be weary of trying a few of their concoctions (like their decadent chocolate truffles, filled with Smokey Blue cheese), a majority of people, whether beer fans or not, are curious to give them the taste test. “Most people shrug their shoulders and say, ‘Yeah, that’ll work,’” says Plowman.

These innovations and collaborations continue to push the envelope and expand our palates. “It’s all part of an even bigger movement,” adds Rogue Creamery’s Plowman. “It isn’t just beer and cheese. It’s coffee, chocolate, wine and spirits. People are getting sophisticated and looking for high-quality, small-batch products with strong, complex flavors. People are traveling to become educated about food and drink.”

Just as supporting your local craft brewers is crucial to their survival, so too is patronizing local artisan cheesemakers. Better yet, support them both at the same time. Just get yourself a lawn chair on a nice, sunny day, a plate, a glass, and cue nirvana.

Beer & Cheese Pairing Guidelines
While these cheesemakers are putting beer and cheese together for us, sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when combining the two forms of culinary heaven:

> Strength is the name of the game—a mild Gouda stands no chance against a huge Double Imperial Dry-Hop Barleywine, just as an American Hefeweizen won’t do much alongside a pungent blue, like Stilton or Roquefort.

> Think about flavors that complement each other, without overdoing it. For instance, a smoked cheddar or smoked Gouda wouldn’t necessarily do so well against a Smoked Porter or Rauchbier. Often in these “obvious pairings,” for lack of a better term, many of the nuances and complexities that you’re trying to appreciate tend to get lost between the two.

> Check your temperature. Your tongue’s ability to pick up taste is hindered by cold temps, so it’s best to take your cheese (and beer, if you’re so inclined) out of the icebox about 30 minutes before serving for optimum flavor.

> Compare and contrast. Just as beer is a balancing act between malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness, contrasting flavors in your beers and cheeses can often produce the best pairings. Earthy, slightly bitter cheeses like English cheddars and kick-in-the-throat blue cheeses pair well against sweeter Belgian Tripels and Strong Golden Ales. Sharper, more acidic cheddars fare better alongside moderately hopped Pale ales or robust Brown ales.

> Double- and triple-crème cheeses like Brie and Camembert are a little more versatile, working well with bold Stouts and Porters, but also make a great dessert next to a fruited Lambic. They can brighten up a nice Bière de Garde, Saison or Kölsch.

> Fresh cheeses, like feta, mozzarella, or chèvre, love a good wheat beer, whether it be a Bavarian Hefeweizen or a Belgian Witbier.

> Don’t be afraid! Experiment until you find your favorite pairings. Even if a few of your pairings don’t work out as planned, you still got in some swigs of damn good beer and a couple cubes of tasty cheese.

Further Reading
To learn more about artisan cheesemakers, or more about pairing cheeses with beer, check out these titles:

> The Atlas of Artisan American Cheese by Jeffrey P. Roberts
> He Said Beer, She Said Wine by Sam Calagione and Marnie Old
> The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food by Garrett Oliver
> Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins ■