Matching beer with cheese and chocolate: not pretty
There were four speakers on the tasting panel session I attended at the Savor shindig in Washington Saturday night. And there were four distinctively different views of what type of beer was the best match.
The panelists were Christian De Benedetti a freelance writer, Eric Wallace of the Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colo., Greg Koch of San Diego's Stone Brewing Co. and Lauren Buzzeo of Wine Enthusiast magazine. 
We members of the audience were given pieces of Maytag blue cheese, dark, nutty chocolate and glasses of four beers, the ones picked by the panelists.
We nibbled on the fare, then sipped and took notes as each panelist made the case for his or her beer. The beers were not identified by brand until the end of the tasting.
First up was DeBenedetti, who poured a beer we later learned was Allagash Black. He made the case for "harmony", saying the sweetness of the malt in his beer paired well with both the cheese and chocolate. I thought the pairing was good but not great
Next was Wallace whose brew -- Left Hand Brewing Co. Smokejumpers Smoked Imperial Porter -- was loaded with woody notes. The smoke tempers the blueness of the cheese, he said, and alcohol, 9.2 percent ABV, cuts through the fat in the chocolate. This one really worked for me.
Koch, of Stone Brewing Co., said the hops in his Stone Ruination IPA worked with the saltiness of the cheese, and its citrus notes provided a "flavor hook" similar to that in the chocolate.
Finally, Buzzeo said she believed in looking for extraordinary match-ups. Her favored beer, the Deschutes Brewing Co.'s Dissident, a Flemish-style sour brown ale, was fermented for 18 months. It cut through flavors, she said, providing interesting contrasts with the food. It worked for the cheese, I thought, but not the chocolate.
However, in a show of hands from the audience, the sour ale, the Dissident, was the crowd favorite. Smokerjumper finished second, followed by the Stone IPA and the Allagash Black.
I disagreed. My order of favorites was the Smokejumper, then the Allagash, the Stone and finally the Dissident.
The exercise goes to show that, as the panelists said, when matching food and beer, the most important authority is your own palate.
Anyone familiar with these beers?
What do you think?
What is your favorite beer with blue cheese? How about with chocolate?
Photos: stockxchng.com
Comments
I love a strong American barleywine style of beer with some funky/pungent cheeses (Roquefort, Gorgonzola, etc.) I have no idea if that's considered an ideal pairing, I just know it works for me.
Some of my favorite American barleywine styles include "Old Guardian" from Stone Brewing and "Backburner" from Southern Tier Brewing.
Concerning chocolates, I'm a dark chocolate geek. And my favorite style to drink with dark chocolate is easily an Imperial Stout / Russian Imperial Stout.
As far as IPAs go, I usually save those to pair with dinner or even steamed crabs in the summer. The lighter lagers and pilsners just don't cut it (at least not for me). IPAs come off as more refreshing to my palate.
Posted by: Brad - BeerInBaltimore.com | June 2, 2009 11:05 AM
Actually, it was the Stone Ruination IPA that I chose for the pairing. Unfortunately, the crowd did not fully grasp the beauty and brilliance of that pairing. Alas, so it must be.
All in all, SAVOR and all the salons were a great time. I had a blast!
Cheers,
Greg
Posted by: Greg Koch | June 3, 2009 12:07 AM
Count me as another that's a fan of a nice Stout to go with chocolate.
Posted by: Steve | June 8, 2009 8:52 AM
Stouts and porters have long been obvious choices to pair with chocolate, but if you're adventurous, try dark Belgian ales and chocolate. I once organised a beer and chocolate pairing seminar with a local chocolatier who brought a selection of her handmade truffles, and the regional Unibroue rep and four different Unibroue beers (let's see if I can remember which ones.. Maudite, Trois Pistoles, Terrible, and...[forgot the fourth one]). The event got raves from the sold-out group of 30 people who paid their ten bucks each to attend.
More recently, a local food and _wine_ show did a demo with the same chocolatier and one of our excellent local craft brewers for pairings with both Belgian- and non-Belgian (dark) beer styles (including the stout and porter you would expect, plus a Scotch ale and a Dubbel), and brought craft beer appreciation to a wine crowd!
Posted by: Bob "Now go have a beer" Paolino | June 8, 2009 4:53 PM