SACRAMENTO, CA
Welcome to this edition of Beer & Cheese Pairings. For this installment, I have three cheeses that are equally diverse and unique. For the pairing, I chose St. Bernardus’ bitter and malty Prior 8. Let’s get started!
BEER:
Prior 8 from St. Bernardus is a traditional abbey ale brewed in the “Dubbel” style of Belgium’s Best Abbey Ales. It has a smooth, creamy richness and a malt-fruit complexity. Its taste is a balance between sweet, bitter and malty flavors. With such a complex beer, I chose three diverse cheeses to find the best pairing.
CHEESES:
Crushed Olives Log is a delightful flavored goat cheese from Laura Chenel. It is made with carefully harvested California green olives and ripe black Kalamatas that are lightly crushed and spike with a hint of spice. The olives are combined with the company’s creamy fresh chèvre for a bright blend of tangy goat cheese and fruity olives. When paired with the Prior 8, the flavors of each blended wonderfully. The tang of the cheese actually enhanced the overall flavor profile of the beer, making it my favorite of the three pairings.
Rocchetta is a soft Italian cheese made from pasteurized goat, cow and sheep’s milk that is imported by Tony’s Fine Foods. It is very creamy with a nice and fluffy texture. It has a sour cream-like tanginess and features a soft and edible bloomy rind. This cheese paired nicely with the beer, but lost a lot of its delicate flavors.
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. It has a subtle sweet and nutty flavor with just a hint of smoke. This cheese is delicious all on its own or with a sturdy crostini. It paired very nicely with the Prior 8 and was a very close second behind the Crushed Olives Log.
Make sure to check back for the next installment of Beer & Cheese Pairings!
