{"id":17103,"date":"2014-11-23T07:55:10","date_gmt":"2014-11-23T15:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=17103"},"modified":"2022-08-16T13:46:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T20:46:00","slug":"how-to-create-a-beer-and-cheese-board-pairing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/how-to-create-a-beer-and-cheese-board-pairing\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Create a Beer and Cheese Board Pairing"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a> Cheese Plate Tips<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Cheese No. 1:<\/b> Go big or go home. Pick one blue-veined cheese to serve. It will provide a vibrancy of color to your plate<\/p>\n Preserve Your Fruit:<\/b> Serve your favorite jam or preserves alongside the cheeses. This adds the sweet flavors of fruit without over-crowding a plate with slices of fruit<\/p>\n Cheese No.<\/b> 2: <\/b>A soft-ripened cheese is the perfect second cheese for your plate. Familiar to many but daring to some, it serves as the perfect bridge for those still learning about the vast variety of cheese types<\/p>\n Forget the Crackers:<\/b> Nuts provide that rich, earthy texture without all the bulk \u2013 leaving more room to taste the many notes in each cheese. We like almonds, pecans, hazelnuts and pistachios<\/p>\n Cheese No. 3: <\/b>The magic number three is perfect for a cheese board too. Try serving a semi-hard cheese for your third selection. Yes, Cheddar falls into this category, as does Gouda, Swiss and Gruy\u00e8re<\/p>\n Presentation & Slicing: <\/b>Place roughly quarter-pound servings of each cheese triangle evenly apart on a large cheese board or serving plate. Scatter the nuts between the cheeses and set the preserves in the mix. Last but not least, make sure you have a separate cheese knife for each cheese and for your preserve(s).<\/p>\n Now for the libations pairing. Much has been written about wine and cheese pairings, but with the cult-like fervor surrounding craft beer, I think it\u2019s paramount that we address this void, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n Beer and cheese have a natural affinity beginning with a similar origin, grass. Barley is a cereal grass used in making beer and milk is a by-product of a cow eating grass. They also share similar flavors: nutty, tangy, floral, and earthy. They can both offer a sharp, dry texture or a smooth and creamy one. And where there is no complement there is delightful contrast; the sweetness of some beers is an ideal foil for cheese’s saltiness. And beer’s carbonation can work to cleanse the palate and bring out the many nuances of cheese.<\/p>\n Here are some DO’s for pairing craft beer and cheese from Craft Beer.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n Earlier this month I spent four days in Las Vegas as a Blog Ambassador at Food Fight Write<\/a> – \u00a0eating, drinking, tweeting, and educating myself as I went along. Sometimes it\u2019s difficult to decide what breakout session to attend at these conferences because there are so many subjects of interest. This dilemma nearly caused me to miss the beer, cheese and salumi pairing, but I slipped out of a “you must do video” session to crash the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board<\/a>‘s cheese and beer pairing for a little speed tasting before Sarah Hill cleaned up.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Featuring Chicago’s\u00a0Goose Island<\/a> beers and cheeses from Wisconsin family-owned artisan and specialty cheesemakers, it was a true taste sensation:<\/p>\n 312 Urban Wheat Ale<\/em> (312\u2019s spicy aroma of Cascade hops is followed by a crisp, fruity ale flavor delivered in a smooth, creamy body that’s immensely refreshing) with Holland\u2019s Family Cheese’s Gouda – <\/i><\/b>a farmstead creamery owned by Rolf and Marie Penterman who emigrated from the Netherlands and craft authentic raw milk goudas aged on Dutch pine planks.<\/p>\n Honker\u2019s Ale<\/em> (combines a fruity hop aroma with a rich malt middle to create a perfectly balanced beer) with Sartori BellaVitano<\/i><\/b> – founded in 1939 and dedicated to the highest standards in crafting their Italian specialties – the Sartori Reserve line features award-winning specially selected and aged varieties as well as BellaVitano, a new Sartori original Limited Edition and World Cheese Award winner.<\/p>\n Sofie<\/em> (sparkling Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale, wine barrel-aged with an abundance of hand-zested orange peel. Spicy white pepper notes contrast the citrus tartness) with Carr Valley Casa Bolo Mellage <\/i><\/b>– one of the \u201cAmerican Originals\u201d line of cheeses from Carr Valley, a fourth generation company, owned and operated by Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook, the country\u2019s most awarded cheese maker. Collectively, Carr\u2019s \u201cAmerican Originals\u201d have won over 400 awards; Casa Bolo is a world competition winner.<\/p>\n Mathilda<\/em> (complex Belgian Style Pale Ale is fermented with the wild yeast Brettanomyces, dried fruit and clove aromas, a spicy yeast flavor, and a satisfying dry finish) with Upland\u2019s Pleasant Ridge Reserve<\/i><\/b> – only made in the summer months and, until recently, the only cheese made by Upland, Pleasant Ridge has the rare honor of winning three Best of Show awards in the American Cheese Society competition (2001, 2005 and 2010).<\/p>\n Class of ’88 Belgian Style Ale<\/em> (a collaboration with Deschutes Brewing, \u00a0Michigan Riesling and Oregon Pinot Noir grapes age with Mt. Hood whole flower hops and Pilsner malt in Muscat casks. The fruit aroma unites with Belgian yeast esters and oak for a crisp, dry and slightly tart flavor) with Hook\u2019s 6 Year Cheddar<\/i><\/b> – Tony and Julie Hook have been making award winning cheese for 40 years; they use a special aging process that ensures their cheddars are always moist and creamy.<\/p>\n Peppe Nero (farmhouse ale brewed with black peppercorns, roasty sweetness melds into a lingering, earthy, black pepper finish) with Roelli Dunbarton Blue<\/i><\/b> – a cave-aged cheddar with a slight blue vein, providing the flavor of a fine English Cheddar with just a hint of Blue, the company\u2019s signature cheese.<\/p>\n Wisconsin Cheese offers a fabulous pairing guide<\/a>, fetchingly called Cheese Cupid;\u00a0simply select the cheese or drink of your choice and let the Cheese Cupid suggest its soulmate!<\/p>\n
\nPutting together a beer and cheese tasting is as easy as assembling an assortment of cheeses of different textures and types and choosing a bevy of beers to go with them. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.<\/p>\n\n