Day 903 : Sixpoint Collabeeration

Although you all have had the opportunity to read some of the in-depth postings I've done thus far focusing on Sixpoint Brews - I wanted to draw your attention today to my contribution to Sixpoint's Open Mic series - a creative and forum for beer, food, fun, and other fabulous things...

http://sixpoint.com/blog/openmic/a-friend-to-fromage-and-beer/

If you're looking for a beer and cheese pairing overview of the Sixpoint core brews, this is exactly where to turn and feel free to apply the concepts to other beers if you don't have access to the world of Sixpoint.

Here's to beer and cheese being the most fabulous of fermented friends!

Day 898 : Fall into Beer Pairing Number 5 : The Crisp and Oldwick Shepherd

What if you were to imagine a backstory for your favorite beer just like the way you create stories about strangers on the street? Who would that beer be and what sort of life would it have? Who would its best cheese friend be and where would you want it to live? 

So let’s let our imagination run wild for Sixpoint’s The Crisp – their German Pilsner style lager.

Let me introduce myself -- I’m incredibly smooth, light and flirty with nice herbal, earthy, grassy, and floral notes. I’ve got a bready malty side that goes hand in hand with my orange citrus nuances and a slight bitterness. I’m Crisp like my name, an easy drinking lager with a refreshing bent, perfect on a steamy summer day at the beach. My alcohol content is pretty low – clocking in at 5.4% ABV.

Who is my best cheese friend? 

Hailing from Valley Shepherd Creamery in New Jersey is Oldwick Shepherd -- a firm cave aged sheep’s milk cheese inspired by the Basque great, Ossau-Iraty. Oldwick stands alone though! Nutty and buttery yet slightly sweet, grassy and earthy, this is a bright sheep’s milk snacking cheese infused with our local Northeast terroir. Great with the crisp, refreshing qualities of our beer – they find their counterpart in each other. The earthy and grassy notes of both the beer and the cheese play off of one another and function in perfect harmony, just what you want in a best friend! The buttery, round, nuttiness of the cheese allows for the delicate nuances of the beer to be on display and not be overwhelmed as other cheese partners might. 

Now that you know my best friend, you probably want to know why Oldwick Shepherd is my best friend and what other friends I might have?

When pairing with a pilsner you want to have a bright, slightly sweet, grassy, and round cheese that does not overwhelm the delicate nuances and flavor bouquet of the beer. Pilsners tend to have a light, crisp, refreshing yet faintly bitter finish which when paired with a cheese like Oldwick Shepherd will shine.

Day 897 : Fall into Beer Pairing Number 4 : Sweet Action and Moonlight Chaource

Happy New Year to all of my Jewish readers out there! Here's to a wonderful year full of good times and good laughs, success and happiness, and everything you hope for. Today we will be continuing with our Fall for Beer series featuring another Sixpoint Brew -- Sweet Action.

Sweet Action is Sixpoint’s most popular brew and is the most fabulous mash-up of cream ale, wheat beer, hefeweizen, and pale ale notes. On certain days you might taste more cream ale flavors, other days more wheat forward notes or maybe the sweet floral nuances of a hefeweizen or the finish of a satisfying slug of pale ale. The best part about Sweet Action is that it is always different – the mark of tried and true homebrew. Sweet malty vanilla notes meet their match with the orange-y, floral, citrus hoppiness and overall crisp, refreshing finish in a somewhat light to medium bodied beer.

So what to pair with it?

Think light to medium bodied cheeses with a bright milky roundness. Bloomy rinded cheeses that are creamy and decadent with the most fabulous coat your mouth sort of flavor are a nice counterpart to Sweet Action. I strongly recommend The Amazing Real Live's Moonlight Chaource. Modeled on the classic Loire Valley goat, St Maure, this bloomy rinded aged goat’s milk log is chalky, tangy, grassy, citrusy and fabulously milky. The tangy goaty-ness of the cheese will find its perfect counterpart in the creamy sweetness of the beer -- a perfect bright pairing!

Day 895 : Fall into Beer Pairing # 2 : Righteous Rye & Hot Pepper WindsorDale

Here's to our second pairing from our Fall into Beer Tasting - just the perfect combination of fermented fellows that awakens your senses!

Our beer today is Sixpoint's Righteous Rye hailing from Red Hook, Brooklyn. Spicy to the core, the Righteous Ale is a rye pale ale clocking in at 6.40% ABV. Grassy, rustic and earthy yet spicy, peppery, and warming, this deep copper hued beer is perfection for a late Fall day. Medium to full bodied, it warms you from the inside out.

So what to pair with it?

Think spice! My favorite pairing partner is Vermont Farmstead’s Hot Pepper Windsordale. This honest and milky raw cow’s milk cheese is infused with the most fantastic blend of jalapenos and chilis giving it a nice awakening kick of aromatic piquant notes. Spice goes with spice in this pairing designed to delight and stimulate your senses!