11/11/2009
Announcing Craft Beer Cheese & Chocolate Pairings!
Cheeses
Infinite Wit & Mascarpone Cheese
The creamy aspects of the Mascarpone Cheese gently intermingle with the lighter wheat aspects of the Belgian Wit. The almost neutral flavors in the Mascarpone allow the orange to come through in the Wit which makes for a lighter, more elegant mix.
EOS & Chevres Cheese
Chevres is a type of Goat Cheese and is often used as a dessert cheese. This particular Goat Cheese is creamy and quite tart. Blending the EOS and the Cheese results in a tangy / sweet taste that will tilt decidedly in either direction based upon your personal experience. Challenging by itself, the Goat Cheese should be eaten first in a small bite followed by the EOS.
Brunette Nut Brown Ale & Smoked Gouda Cheese
Always a hit, the Smoked Gouda plays very nicely with the more rich & malty Ales. Our Brunette Nut Brown Ale has a bigger malt bill, a sweeter nature and when consumed with this cheese, creates a wonderfully smoky / sweet malty character that will leave you wishing you had a larger pile of cheese and a few bigger pair of pants at home…
Cardinal Pale Ale & Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Funny how the Cardinal winds up being the personal favorite again… The medium bitterness and the huge Cascade Hop nose mesh perfectly with this dry, sharp Cheddar. The flavor profile and aromatics are both heightened by this cheese and the dry nature creates the desire for another taste of the Cardinal.
India Pale Ale & Gorgonzola Cheese
Playing to the extremes, the big nature of this beer and the bigger flavors in the Gorgonzola create an intriguing interplay of tastes. Taste the Gorgonzola and follow with the IPA – the tastes linger. The bitterness and the tartness of the cheese remain and leave you quite surprised.
Chocolates
Infinite Wit & Chocolate Orange Truffle
Our Belgian Wit is made with Organic Orange Peel and Coriander. The zest of the peel plays nicely to the Orange in this chocolate. Expect heightened Orange flavors all the way around.
EOS & White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Our German Hefeweizen has big banana aromatics which results from a warmer fermentation of our German yeast strain. This banana character meshes nicely with the Raspberry in this chocolate.
Brunette Nut Brown Ale & Peanut Butter Fudge
This English Nut Brown Ale tilts to the roasted malt side and is naturally sweet in character. The Peanut Butter Fudge together with the Brown results in a caramel taste that plays up the sweetness in this Ale.
Cardinal & Pumpkin Fudge
A personal favorite. This American Pale Ale is dry hopped using the Cascade Hop variety which imparts a huge, citrusy nose to this beer. The decadent Pumpkin fudge is made with Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin puree, Marshmallow Cream & Walnuts. The result is an unexpected layering of lush pumpkin and a sweet aspect of the Ale that typically is not present when consumed alone. Enjoy!
IPA & Hot Chocolate Truffle
(spicy seasoning with Sriracha Hot Sauce, Hot Mexican Chili Powder & Paprika)
Both items are challenging when enjoyed independently – the big, bold malty bitterness of the India Pale Ale and the spicy nature of this Truffle can fall into the acquired taste category. These 2 items together result in a heightened malt sweetness and both a lingering bitterness and spice that burn so nicely together on the finish.
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