So let’s dig in: and dig in we did, starting with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar paired with St. Boisterous. Truth be told, our beer expert, Whitney Thompson formerly of Victory and now account executive for specialty malt with Cargill, hinted that, while a fine pairing, the grassy maibock might not hold up to the big, bold and sharp cheddar as would our second taste, the mighty Hop Wallop. Of course, she was correct. Fair and refreshing, St. Boisterous brought a knife to a gun fight here, but Hop Wallop put the umami cheese back in its place.
And yet, Hop Wallop was also a pleasant partner for its intended, Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert. This cheese was super buttery, taming the big, bitter, sweet-sour hops. It mellowed Hop Wallop in a delightfully creamy sort of way. Many thanks to Sigrid Kreyling of Wegmans for selecting these cheeses and educating us on what’s available in their extensive cheese shop.
Pepper and Garlic Chevre was oh so much more than “just” goat cheese as our expert, Catherine M. Renzi of Yellow Springs Farm LLC, pointed out. This chevre is made with fresh milk from Nubian goats bred right on the farm and carefully selected for their naturally nutrient-rich milk. Chevre is one of my favorites, and this lived up to my high expectations: smooth and rich, like whipped cream cheese. Touched with mild garlic and a kiss of spicy pepper, the amazing aroma was fresh, grassy and clean. It was paired with Festbier, an approachable, malty, almost sweet libation. I found it quite fizzy, which worked well to cut such a luscious cheese. Whitney described it as “the carbonation lifting the fat off the tongue, leaving it refreshed and ready for that next bite.” It sure did.
Fieldstone Aged Cheese, also from Yellow Springs Farm, was introduced to its new BFF Headwaters Pale Ale. Fieldstone was earthy and nutty thanks to six to eight weeks aging in the farm’s cheese cave. As luck would have it, the slightly nutty Headwaters, with its hints of citrus and pine, made nice with Fieldstone. They complemented each other with their similar flavors, and certainly benefited from Headwaters’ bit o’hops, creating a very mild finish.
But wait, there’s more, and a wake-up call for the tastes buds, courtesy of Sue Miller of Birchrun Hills Farm. Birchrun Blue was funky in a way only a blue cheese can be: a sinus-clearing experience that came from minerally, salty, sweet and peppery. Thus super freak went mano-a-mano with HopDevil. You know this devil, he of the whole flour American hops and German malts, and you like him just the same. The raw milk blue’s funk cut right through the hoppiness, and the bitter beer ably tamed the pungent cheese. Win-win.
Last but certainly not least, Birchrun Hills Farm’s Fat Cat, a semi-soft tomme-style cheese – essentially a rustic farmhouse cheese – brought to the party essences of mushroom and green grass, plus an earthiness that was almost dry with it’s bit of tangy. It had to bring it’s A-game, as it was paired with the strong, Belgian-style Golden Monkey ale. It’s always a party when the Monkey’s in the house because its high ABV is masked by its banana-clove-coriander deliciousness. The contrasting flavors brightened up each nibble and sip and gave us a smooth finish.
We learned a ton of cool things during this tasting, like there are an impressive eight licensed cheese makers in Chester County, yet only 40 in Vermont. And that Yellow Springs Farm has a cheese CSA. Plus Birchrun Hills Farm is also known for their fresh veal and pork. That’s what makes events at Victory worth the price of admission and so much more. Add in the bonus starter beer (in this case, Prima Pils) and nifty noshes, and it’s truly an evening to remember and a cause to say “what’s up next?”
Photographs credited to Nina Lea Photography.
