Beer Geek? Meet Curd Nerd

How Do You Like Your Beer/Cheese?

March 1, 2010 By Julie Johnson

Young

Zwickel beer, fresh from the maturation tank, or new ale

Fresh cheeses, such as mascarpone or crème fraiche, curdled by acid, not microorganisms

Smoky

German rauchbier, some Scottish ales made with peated malt, smoke porters

Smoked mozzarella, gouda and others aged over smoke or in a smoke house

American originals

Cream ale, steam beer

Monterey Jack, Colby, Brick

Wild

Brett beers including lambics and others wild-fermented with Brettanomyces yeast, producing funky, barnyard flavors

Brevi cheeses, the “stinky” cheeses, with rinds washed during aging to cultivate the growth of Brevibacterium linens

Old

Aged beers, including barley wines, old ales and others that pick up complexity and depth with cellaring

Aged cheeses, such as cheddars, goudas and others that acquire caramel, nutty or butterscotch notes over long conditioning

Holy

Trappist beers of Belgium and Holland, monastic breweries in Germany, and the now-commercial beers in those styles, such as dubbels and tripels

Trappist cheeses of Chimay and Orval (Belgium); Gethsamani and Our Lady of Angels (U.S.); Montasio, developed in the 13th century in Italy. Commercial interpretations: Maredsous Abbey Cheese, Tête des Moines, Wensleydale