The Humble Gourmand

Beer? Cheese? Beer AND cheese?

The HG’s Lynne and I thought we had died and gone to heaven at a pairing dinner this Monday at Pizza Paradiso in Georgetown. The cheesemongers of Cowgirl Creamery, who split their time between Pt. Reyes, Calif., and Washington, worked closely with Paradiso’s Greg Jaspur to craft a stunning 5-course menu that left us speechless (and very full).

We collected fun tidbits of beer and cheese knowledge from CC’s Peggy Smith and Jaspur, who oversees the subterranean Birreria Paradiso (a wonderland of brews).

Here’s what we tried — to get some visuals, check out photos from the night here. (Naturally, the quality of my notes dropped off as the night wore on.)

1. Cheese plate with Coolea and Tomme du Chalousse / Aventinus (Schneider & Son)
The Coolea was from Neal’s Yard Dairy in London; an Irish-style cheese much like a Gouda. The Tomme du Chalousse was French and very milky, with a washed rind.
The Aventinus (8.5% abv), a wheat weiszen dopplebock, knocked socks off with its intricate flavor. It was my favorite beer of the night.

2. Mixed greens with cucumber & sweet onion relish and St. Pat “blooming mold” cheese / Saison Dupont
Cowgirl Creamery’s own St. Pat was slightly “green” tasting, like an artichoke, which Smith explained came from the spring and summer milk of CC’s herd. A stinging nettle is wrapped around the cheese, which paired nicely with the bright, bitter salad greens.
The Saison Dupont, a popular Belgian-style brew (6.5% abv) was hoppin’.

3. Three-way mac and cheese with cloth-bound Cabot Cheddar and Kirkham Lancshire / Westmalle Tripel and Boont Amber Ale
One third of the mac and cheese contained the Cabot, a traditional English cheddar aged for a year, and another third had the Kirkham “buttery crumble” (a bit more interesting). Both went into the middle section of the dish, which used an apple compote to divide the 3 sections. Fun.
The Boont Amber (6% abv) was heavily malty and sweet. Jaspur told us that the Westmalle Tripel (9.5% abv) a Trappist ale, was a pioneer and is often imitated today. I believe him — it was great. Sweet, but with a bite.

4. “Spanish Dream” pizza with Garrotxa and Pipe Dreams Goat Chevre / Orval
This pizza hit it out of the park. The Garrotxa (“Gar-roh-cha”), a shepherd-style cheese from Spain’s Pyrenees region, and the fresh chevre acted as a nice complement to the herb-infused tomato sauce.
On the Orval, some said, “Earthy.” Others said, “Horse blanket-y.”

Peppery pizza with Pepato, arugula, lemon, and onion / Rochefort 10
Lemon is something you wouldn’t expect to find on a pizza, but it made this one. The Pepato was a sheep’s milk cheese with a nutty, sweet flavor. Smith told us it is patterned after Italian pecorino.
Jaspur stopped messing around with the beers from here on. The Rochefort 10, a Belgian quadruple, packed a punch (11.5% abv). Dark and “boozy.”

5. Cheese plate w/ Redhawk, Cashel Blue, and a mini-cream puff / Rochefort 10 and JW Lee’s Harvest Ale
Memory more hazy after drinking beer described as “boozy.” The intensely pungent Cashel Blue woke me up, though — wow! — and I managed to soldier through our last pairing. The Redhawk was mild, soft, and quite nice, and the accompanying cream puff was the perfect foil to both that and the Cashel.
JW Lee’s Harvest Ale (12% abv) drank like Sauternes, we decided, and is a perfect dessert or after-dinner beverage.