9 Beers, 9 Cheeses, Happy People by Diane

Twenty four taste workshops were part of the Slow Food Nation weekend, including “Heritage Pork and Sparkling Mead”, “Heirloom Tomatoes with Local Wine” and “Presidium Coffee Cupping”. Our favorite, though, and the one we simply couldn’t miss, was “American Artisan Cheeses and Microbrews.” Yes, that’s a cheese and beer tasting. Beer and cheese are considered “fermented cousins” and are thought to be a good food combination by many food enthusiasts, with these types of pairings becoming more common. (We even met Mark, a member of the Dallas, TX, Slow Food group, who said that he hosts similar type tastings in Texas, so combining beer and cheese seems to be more common that we thought.)

A lucky 50 participants were treated to nine US artisanal cheeses and nine American microbrews. Now, I’m not one for tastings that tout mouthfeel and toothsome (what in the world is toothsome quality?), but Dawn and I figured it would be a nice way to try some new and hopefully interesting cheeses and beer. We were led on our taste journey by Matt Jennings, Cheesemonger/Chef/Owner of Farmstead, Inc., in Providence, Rhode Island, who is not only an expert on cheese but also well versed in beers and beer making.

We first went through some terminology which I found interesting. Artisan is probably a word most people know by now – artisan cheeses are made in small batches, with little to no mechanization. Jeff Roberts, author of The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese, defines artisan as “Rather than an industrial process, it implies a high degree of handcrafting and, therefore, limited production. In addition, artisan suggests that the cheesemaker, by following traditional cheese-making techniques, uses little mechanization.”

Another term important to know when referring to cheese is “farmstead”. The American Cheese Society defines farmstead as “In order for a cheese to be classified as ‘farmstead’, as defined by the American Cheese Society, the cheese must be made with milk from the farmer’s own herd, or flock, on the farm where the animals are raised. Milk used in the production of farmstead cheeses may not be obtained from any outside source. Farmstead cheeses may be made from all types of milk and may include various flavorings.”

A new term for us was “craft”, which defines beer brewers who focus on carefully selected ingredients, who make beer in both traditional and non-traditional styles, pay attention to detail, and make small batches (under two million barrels a year).

It’s actually impossible to describe the tasting in words – this really is something one should experience firsthand, but to try to sum up the workshop. We had nine beers in glasses on the table in front of us, and a plate with nine slices of cheese was given to each participant. As we went through the beers, we were given the type of beer it was, where it came from, and a general description of the taste and quality. We then learned about the cheeses, from the production methods and where the cheese was made, to how the animals were raised (they were all sustainably raised on pasture – some had been fed limited amounts of grain but most seemed to be from pasture or grass). We sampled goat, cow and sheep cheese.
I can’t say which was my favorite, and I don’t know if I really understood why particular combinations were made, but except for one beer that tasted like a cigarette butt had been dropped into a can of warm beer, everything had either a unique, interesting or delectable taste. I might not have liked it all, but I could appreciate the uniqueness of some of the tastes.

And, yes, if you’re wondering – by the end of the fifth beer (granted, we were only drinking maybe 1/5 or 1/6 of a glass), but after beer number five, the room got a little rowdy as everyone loosened up and got into the spirit of the workshop. Things got rather exciting when I and the man next to me realized we had the same beer poured into two of our glasses. (And talk about being a beer connoisseur – the gentleman to my right could actually sniff the beer and tell me which one it was – and he was always right! I was so impressed!) But Dawn saved the day by leaping up and alerting Matt our presenter that we had been mis-poured which led to some confusion and the room turning into something similar to a beer garden during Octoberfest.

Did we learn anything from this workshop? Not being the kind of person who really can appreciate this type of educated tasting, I can’t say I learned anything technical about mouthfeel or toothiness, but I was heartened to be at an event that was pairing foods like beer and cheese that were sustainable and created in a traditional manner. And when food experts start taking beer seriously, and looking at local sustainable beers to boot, I can only think what will happen to Monday night football gatherings in the years ahead….

Article Tag(s): slow food nation, sfn08, cheese, beer, cheese tasting

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