Everyone has been to a cheese and wine party haven’t they? Or a wine tasting with cheese? Or, ok, settled down on the sofa with a bottle of red plonk and a piece of brie and some bread? No? Just me then.
Oh well, perhaps I can interest you in this instead – a beer and cheese evening? This one got Mr GFB’s seal of approval before we’d even booked on the event – a collaboration between BrewDog Manchester and Manchester WI’s favourite cheese lady, The Queen Brie.
Dean and the Queen Brie had organised the evening and provided us with a menu on arrival, whilst Mr GFB and I treated ourselves to Brew Dog’s newest creation, Never Mind the Anabolics (not quite what we’d hoped for, but still a good beer, it is Brew Dog after all), we perused at our leisure:
I was ecstatic to note Riptide on there, as it’s one of my favourite Brew Dog treats (though any more than two glasses and even this seasoned drinker feels the effects) and Mr GFB was pleased to see the classic Punk on the list and Stinking Bishop cheese.
Dolphinholme Goats Cheese with Cigar City Guava Gold
This pairing was, we think, made in heaven. The beer, flavoured with pink guava puree was fruity without being overly sweet. The cheese, made by 1000 individually named nanny goats in the Forest of Bowland, was not overly earthy – it’s matured and so is gentle and creamy – not overly strong. The two melded together, soft salty cheese with the fruity, round flavoured beer.
Cranberry Wensleydale with BrewDog 5AM Saint
I’m not overly fond of fruit in cheese, (with it, rather than in it) after a horrid experience involving a White Stilton and apricot cheese. This made me a little wary of trying the Wensleydale. I’m pleased to report it was an excellent pairing – the cranberry offering a jammy, but sharp element to the already slightly acidic cheese. Add to this a beer that has notes of salted caramel, which rounded off the acidic edges of the cheese.
Burt’s Blue with BrewDog Punk IPA
Burt’s Blue could barely be more local to me, made by Claire Burt in Altrincham, I’ve been a fan for what seems like an awfully long time. I’ve been buying it in little rounds for Christmas presents – and expect to do the same this year. The cheese is creamy and, for a blue cheese, quite light in flavour. It goes amazingly well with light, sweet fruits and this is where Punk IPA comes in – hoppy, mangoes, lychees, sweet slightly tropical fruits to accompany the cheese.
Vintage Cheddar with Green Flash Barley Wine
The mature cheddar was from Greenfields in the Forest of Bowland, and was a good mature cheddar, it had, as Mr GFB pointed out, a parmesan-like quality, softer than parmesan, but the flavour and slightly grainy texture were similar. The Green Flash was a very interesting experience – one neither of us had tried before – and had a heavy (but not overly so), rich molasses flavour to it, almost bonfire toffee, but without the bonfire. The two together were rich, creamy and delicious.
Ballyoak Smoked Brie with BrewDog Riptide
This cheese is amazing. No other way to describe it – it’s probably the closest a committed vegetarian will get to bacon. The cheese is made in Nothern Ireland, in the Five Mile Town Creamery and smoked using sustainable wood foraged from the Forest of Caledon. Add that to my favourite BrewDog beer, Riptide, which offers deep caramel, toffee notes, and it’s slightly bitter edge and it was, with the first pairing, my favourite of the night.
Stinking Bishop with Cantillon Gueze
Finally, a world of extremes. Stinking Bishop with it’s ammonia scent has been described as the smelliest cheese in Britain. It’s taste, however, is sweet and a lot milder than the scent would suggest. The beer was another we hadn’t tried before, and initially I could smell lemons and sharp apples – I was proved right as it’s very citrussy, sharp and sour, more so than Without You I’m Nothing from Evil Twin Brewing.
Replete, and being somewhat giddy having spotted one half of the partnership behind BrewDog, James Watt in the bar, I accompanied Mr GFB in our long stroll (perhaps that should read waddle) home.
Without sounding too obvious, if you like beer and if you like cheese, this is a pairing made in heaven. Plenty of both on offer and supplied by people who really do know what they’re doing.
On the other hand, if you’re just there for the beer, hit the Beer School, it’s well worth the effort too, with platters of cheese and charcuterie on offer to soak up some of the alcohol.
Enjoy. And say hello to Colin for me….
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