Welcome to this week’s edition of Beer & Cheese Pairings. For this installment, I’ve chosen three of my favorite cheeses to pair with the delicious and hoppy Double IPA from Bike Dog Brewing Company. Let’s jump right in!
BEER:
Double IPA from Bike Dog Brewing Company is a slightly mild and tasty DIPA. It pours light amber with a cream colored head and has a predominately citrusy aroma. It is mild in bitterness with good floral and citrus tones. It should be a worthy paring partner for our cheeses.
CHEESES:
Truffle Log is a fabulous fresh goat cheese with Italian black summer truffle from Laura Chenel. The earthy perfume of the truffles forms a beautiful balance with the bright fresh taste of the goat cheese. This is one of my favorite goat cheeses, and it paired very nicely with the IPA. The earthiness in the truffle combined with the tang of the cheese created a strong pairing partner for the hops in the beer.
Apple Walnut Smoked from Beehive Cheese is a cow’s milk cheese that is cold-smoked in small batches over Utah walnut wood and slices of red apple. This process gives it a nice, subtle sweet and nutty flavor with a light hint of smoke. This cheese was slightly overpowered by the hops, but overall, it wasn’t a bad match.
Red Dragon is a Welsh Cheddar imported by Tony’s Fine Foods. It is made with wholegrain mustard seeds and Welsh ale, giving it a strong punch with a subtle sharpness that is quite addictive. Though this buttery and spicy cheese has a good bit of bite. I was very pleasantly surprised when I paired it with the beer. The strong flavors of each were able to create a great balance that made for my favorite pairing of the day.
Stay tuned for the next installment of Beer & Cheese Pairings.
