Welcome to this installment of Beer & Cheese Pairings. This week, I have found a few flavorful and complex cheeses to pair with Port Brewing’s deep and rich Santa’s Little Helper stout. Let’s get started!
BEER:
Santa’s Little Helper is a rich Russian Imperial Stout from Port Brewing. It smells of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and molasses and tastes very similarly with notes of cocoa powder and light bourbon. It is viscous with a slick milk stout feel. This deep beer will make for a formidable pairing partner.
CHEESES:
Cabricharme is a delicious washed rind raw goat’s milk cheese from Belgium that has been imported by World’s Best Cheeses. It is aged a minimum of three months and has a pleasant, creamy texture with a nuance of burnt honey flavor. This cheese was bright and pleasant on its own and shined on a salted crostini. It paired nicely with the beer, but lost some of its flavor notes to the richness and burnt tones of the stout.
Two Year Aged Cheddar from Grafton Village is a handmade, raw milk cheese from Vermont. With a mellow tartness and a beautiful creamy quality, this cheese is fantastic as a table or snacking cheese. It even held its own with the stout, with an interesting amalgam of tart cheese and sweet beer.
Guffanti Smoked Ricotta is a beautiful Italian cheese also imported by World’s Best Cheeses. It has been smoked over aromatic wood embers, lending to an intense and aromatic cheese. This cheese lacked something when eaten on its own, but it made for the best pairing with the stout. Its strong smoked flavor created a surprisingly rich, smoky and sweet flavor collaboration when paired with the beer.
Be sure to check back for more delicious beer and cheese pairings.
