 | Rob Miller
owns and operates Goebel Liquor, family owned since 1971, located at the corner of Maple and West Streets. Rob's World of Beers selection, offers over 450 microbrews and imports. Rob has worked hard to make his beer selection the best available, short of taking a drive to Dallas or Denver. When not on the road prospecting new products for the store to introduce to Wichita, you can usually find Rob at a sporting event, or any activity involving one of his five children. You can contact Rob at Goebel Liquor, e-mail: stoutsman@aol.com, or by phone at (316) 943-2911. |
Beer, Wine & Spirits
2003-12-01 13:02:00
Pairing beer and cheese
: I've read a lot about wine and cheese pairings. Do you have any suggestions on beer and cheese pairings?
ANSWER: Assemble a good selection of cheese from each category-four to six varieties of cheese, add mild, bland crackers such as soda crackers, bread or toast rounds. In general, start with more subtle cheeses and light-bodied beer, and progress to the more intense, full-flavored combinations. Mascarpone cheese is a buttery soft spreadable Italian-style cheese. It is sweet, fresh and versatile. Spread on whole-grain crisp bread and top with sliced radishes. Pair Mascarpone with a complex fruity ale, such as Point White Biere, a Belgian-style saison brewed with a bit of wheat malt for tangy flavors to contrast with the buttery richness of the cheese. Mozzarella, made from cow's milk, is packed in water for freshness. It has a delicate, milky flavor, porcelain white appearance, and springy texture. Skewers of Mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes make a colorful appetizer. A toasty, rich dark lager such as Rogue Shakespeare Stout, brewed with black patent and chocolate malts, contrasts with the sweet dairy flavors of the fresh Mozzarella. Brie, a creamy, soft ripened cheese that, when perfectly ripe, will be spreadable at room temperature. Sold in full wheels, or cut into wedges. Brie's rich taste notes are buttery and woodsy, reminiscent of mushrooms (especially when tasted with the snow-white, edible rind). Sample wedges of ripened Brie with other fruits, such as grapes or figs, to heighten the contrast in flavors. Cherry ale is a Belgian-style kriek ale (traditionally brewed with wild yeasts and aged hops) and infused with both delightful color and bouquet by the addition of fresh, sour cherries. The fruity, sweet taste of the beer goes well with the ripened Brie. Try Lindeman's Kriek Lambic beer for this tasting. Gorgonzola and Blue cheese is noted for its distinctive, sharp flavor. Blue is marbled with streaks of edible blue-green mold. It can be soft and spreadable, or firm and crumbly. Gorgonzola is an Italian-style veined cheese, with a buttery-yellow, tangy cow's milk base. Present a platter of rich, veined cheeses with walnuts and pears. This European tradition is best served with a robust, yeasty ale in the Trappist brewing style. These beers are aged and bottle-conditioned (extra yeast added just at bottling), so it has a stronger, almost vinous, flavor that harmonizes with the distinctive mold-ripened cheese taste. Try Latrap Quadrupel or Duinen Dubbel. Brick cheese has a mild and mellow flavor that becomes more pungent with age. Surface Ripened Brick is washed with a special smear of cultures to produce its distinctive taste and aroma. In Wisconsin, grainy hot mustard and sliced onions top an open-faced sandwich of pumpernickel and surface-ripened Brick. A tavern favorite! Add a pale ale such as Odell's Cutthroat Pale Ale with a hoppy, citric taste to balance the creamy, mellow taste of Brick. Hot Jalapeno and Habanera Pepper Monterey Jack Cheeses add several kinds of hot peppers to heighten the creamy flavor. Terrific as a topper for grilled meats and rustic sandwiches, Hot Pepper Monterey Jack is easily sliced, shredded or cubed. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, a strong bottle-conditioned ale, brewed as a "winter warmer" with twice the usual amount of malt and ample dry hopping, matches the searing flavors of the hot peppers. Smoked Gouda has the level and intensity of smoky flavor which varies by brand, but all smoked Gouda are a bit firmer and nuttier tasting than the regular Gouda, which tastes light, buttery and slightly nutty. Processed smoked Gouda is presented as a spread. A Bock beer such as Moretti La Rossa is a malty and very rich flavored lager, brewed as a "warming" beer for consumption on cold spring days. It has a strong, intensely toasted flavor that counterbalances the smoky tang of the Gouda. Gruyère and Aged Swiss are renowned for its "eyes". Swiss is a semi-soft cheese that can become more flavorful and firm with age. Color ranges from ivory to gold, and will be darker if it is smoked. Gruyère is a versatile cheese, most often used in fondues and toppings, where its nutty, gentle fruity flavor is accentuated by heating. Pair with a white beer, spiced with coriander, orange peels and other exotic ingredients unexpected in beer. The crisp wheat beer base and spiciness yield to a honeyed aftertaste, perfect for the nutty sweetness of Aged Swiss and Gruyère cheeses. Add either New Belgium Sunshine Wheat or Blue Moon Belgium White. Provolone, depending upon its age, may be mild and buttery, or sharp and tangy, or even smoky. It has a distinctive creamy white color and hand-molded shape. This makes a fabulous pizza topping, or presented with Italian antipasto ingredients, such as pickled pepperoncini or sliced salami and prosciutto. Dos Equis Amber, a Vienna-style red lager tastes warm, clean and somewhat malty. Its bready flavor complements the more assertive Sharp Provolone. Aged Cheddar has a full, aromatic Cheddar nose and develops a nut-like flavor, while retaining its buttery richness. Texture becomes drier and more crumbly with age. Color ranges from orange-gold to ivory. Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, a dark stout with a rich, somewhat espresso taste and deep color from black and chocolate barley malts, can stand up to assertive cheeses, such as Aged Cheddar. Asiago is pure-white, firm and somewhat grainy-textured cheese, with a full, sharp flavor, reminiscent of Cheddar. Parmesan is buttery-gold, hard and crumbly. An Italian-style cheese that, when aged, has a distinctively sharp and piquant taste, as well as a rich, somewhat oily and crumbly texture. A Marzen lager such as Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen, has a pale bronze color and warming malt taste, from its somewhat higher alcohol content. It is a little spicy and goes well with these Italian hard cheeses. Aged Cheddar, crumbly and white, goes well with an extremely hoppy IPA like Rockies Brewing Hazed & Infused, (for contrast), or a nutty brown ale, Goose Island Hex Nut Brown Ale, (for complement). To finish off your pairings with a great dessert: Philadelphia Cream Cheese topped with a Chipotle Raspberry Glaze. Spread it on a Ritz cracker and serve with Rogue Chocolate Stout!
