A Crafty Match

Artisan Brews and Cheeses

From left to right:

Cabecou Feuille with Blanche de Chambly
Cabecou Feuille is a French goat's milk cheese ripened in chestnut leaves and studded with black peppercorns. The Blanche de Chambly is brewed by Unibroue in Quebec and is a Belgian-style Witbier. Witbiers are traditionally brewed with mostly wheat (sometimes some oat) in the grain bill, with spices added (the traditional spices are orange peel and coriander). The fruit and spice notes in both the beer and the cheese complement each other.

Tomme D'Alsace with Pinkus Munster Alt
Tomme D'Alsace is a cow's milk cheese from Alsace Lorraine washed in pinot gris. It is meaty and fruity. The Pinkus Munster Alt comes from Munster, Germany, north of Dusseldorf. Alt means old and is thought to refer to the longer aging time of this ale. It is yeasty, malty, and slightly fruity. The Pinkus Alt is also organic. The beer and cheese each complement each other's fruit notes, and the crispness of the brew refreshes the palate.

Hoch Ybrig with Chimay Blue
Hoch Ybrig is a Swiss cow's milk cheese from Schwyz, 50 miles east of Zurich. It is nutty and has a sweetness reminiscent of bananas. The Chimay Blue is made by a Trappist monastery in southwestern Belgium. The Blue is the monastery's Grande Reserve, and is a strong dark ale. It is very fruity, with pronounced fig and raisin notes. Together with the cheese, the beer's fruitiness is highlighted and the nuttiness of the cheese is brought forward.

Hooligan with St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
Hooligan is a washedrind cow's milk from Connecticut with meaty, buttermilky, and subtle raw cocoa notes. It complements the St. Ambroise, which is a drier stout with coffee and roasted-malt notes.

Doddington with Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre
Doddington is a British cow's milk, and a kind of cheddar and gouda mix. It is flaky like a cheddar but has some of the caramel notes of an aged gouda. It is savory with a touch of salt. Raison D'Etre is brewed by Dogfish Head brewery in Milton, Delaware, with green raisins and Belgian yeast. It is quite malty and sweet with a pronounced green raisin note. The sweet maltiness of the beer helps to refresh after the salty strength of the Doddington.

Rogue River Blue with Tripel Karmeliet
Rogue River Blue is a cow's milk blue from Oregon, aged in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon leaves that have been soaked in pear brandy. Wonderfully complex and decadent, it is woody, boozy, rich, and fruity, with a well-balanced strength. The Belgian brew Tripel Karmeliet-named Tripels because they use three times the malts of average beers-is very complex, with green raisin, vanilla bean, and pear notes. Karmeliet is strong enough to stand up to the Rogue River, and together the beer and cheese bring out each other's similar fruit notes.