So last night we had a 'Beer & Cheese' party, and not to pat myself on the back, but it was a pretty big success.
If anyone wants to throw one, but doesn't feel like doing all the research/planning, I'll make it easy for you...
1. The invitation
WHO/WHAT/WHERE/WHEN
and then ...
WHY: Why? It's beer & cheese, that's why! Just in queso you haven't heard, this party is going to brie so gouda. You mozza come!
You're sure to havarti a great time, even Monterey Jack has already RSVPed!
Ok, I've milked this for all it's worth. Something is fonduementally wrong here. I've created a muenster. This needs to stop beaufort it gets out of hand.
Seriously, I'm feta up.
Please RSVP by [date] so we know how much cheese to buy!
2. For the cheese, go to Alberta Cheese Company
http://www.albertacheese.com/
They are a cheese manufacturer in Calgary, and they also import food products. Their retail outlet is open from 7AM-2:30PM
Lots of good cheese, at good prices. Lots of places/restauarants in town buy their cheese from here and mark it up.
Can also try Costco.
Which cheeses to buy? Here's the ones we picked, and what the party goers thought...
Brie <-- good
Camembert <-- better than the brie
White Cheddar <-- good
Gouda <-- gooda
Swiss <-- fine
Emmental <-- same as swiss, probably didn't need both
Provoleta <-- big hit
Honey Goat Cheese <-- big hit
Irish Porter Ale Cheddar <-- hit and miss, some really liked it
Oka <-- big hit
Havarti with Jalapeno <-- fine
Smoked Cheddar <-- hit and miss
You need about 1-2 ounces of cheese per person (about 50g).
For 18 people I think it cost us about $120 for the cheese.
3. Ok, now which beers to match them up with? We did a little Googling to see which types of beers are best paired with each cheese, and then matched them with the highest rated beers on BeerPal that were available in Calgary.
We came up with this list, and each guest was assigned one of them to bring...
Leffe Blonde <-- lot of people liked
Pilsner Urquell <-- so-so to good reviews
Rogue American Amber <-- not many liked
Pyramid Apricot Weizen <-- lot of people liked
Erdinger Dunkel <-- lot of people liked
Duchese de Bourgogne <-- had a weird vinegary taste at the beginning, but decent
aftertaste
Unibroue Blanche de Chambly <-- average, some liked
Rogue Hazelnut Brown <-- some really liked it, others didn't like it at all
Unibroue Apple <-- tasted just like Blanche de Chambly, not 'appley' enough
Fullers London Porter <-- not many liked, but then, a lot of people don't like porter
Schneider Weisse Original <-- good, lot of people liked
Rogue Chipotle <-- not a hit
Lindemans Lambic Kriek <-- good
Dogfish Head 90 Minute <-- not many liked
4. Pairing them up...
We printed out information cards showing why each beer was paired with which cheese. Just print, fold, and put them next to each beer/cheese combo.
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/amberalewithgouda.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/amberale...kedcheddar.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/belgianb...rcamembert.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/darkeralewithoka.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/dunkelwithgruyere.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/fruitbee...goatcheese.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/hefeweizenwithhavarti.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/palealewithprovoleta.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/pilsnerwithwhitecheddar.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/porterwi...tercheddar.bmp
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/witbierwithemmental.bmp
and one explaining why beer & cheese is better than wine & cheese...
http://www.ingle73.com/beer/beerandcheeseisbetter.bmp
5. Preparation
Buy some plastic containers from Co-Op ($2 each) to hold the beers. Layout the beers & cheese in their appropriate pairings. Put the info card beside them.
Put the cheese on cutting boards with knifes, etc. Throw in some grapes and bread as well. Pour lots of ice in the plastic containers to keep the beer cold.
Oh and the Raincoast crisps from any grocery store are pretty good for crackers.
cM