{"id":26069,"date":"2016-03-14T17:14:49","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T21:14:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=26069"},"modified":"2021-08-26T13:48:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T17:48:08","slug":"partners-in-craft-beer-washed-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/partners-in-craft-beer-washed-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Partners in Craft: Beer-Washed Cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Briar Rose Creamery Lorelei<\/em><\/div>\n

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An exploration of beer-washed cheeses should begin in the hills of France and Belgium. This one does, if only to illustrate how far American cheesemakers have journeyed from European tradition.<\/p>\n

\ufffc\ufffc\ufffcWhile the process was born out of necessity, innovative producers across the United States are embracing the practice out of personal passion for local suds, respect for the growing craft-brewing movement, and, most importantly, their desire to tease nuanced flavors from a humble piece of cheese.<\/p>\n

\"Keswick_StinkyElf_lrg4\"<\/a>
\nKeswick Creamery The Stinky Elf<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

A Nod to the Monks<\/h2>\n

Monks in the Middle Ages followed highly regimented schedules: They made cheese immediately after milking, according to historian Paul Kindstedt, who recounts the monastic origins of European washed-rind cheeses in his books. Resulting high-moisture wheels were low in acid, creating ideal conditions for yeast and bacteria to develop on the rinds during aging; brine washing further encouraged this growth, as microbes require a certain level of salinity and moisture to flourish. Since monks were the de facto brewers and vintners of the period, it was only a matter of time until they started experimenting with beer and wine in the wash. It\u2019s commonly thought that this addition was for preservation purposes\u2014the sugars in alcohol fed yeasts, keeping undesirable microflora at bay. Another possibility: Alcohol can impart meaty flavors to cheese, which would be particularly appealing to brothers who swore off meat for Lent.<\/p>\n

Savory, beefy, and complex flavor profiles certainly hold the imaginations of many domestic makers turning out beer-washed cheeses, yet none of the producers I interviewed credit a European cheese as a primary source of inspiration. (The most common European examples of the style available in the US are from Belgium\u2019s Chimay<\/a>, which makes a half-dozen cheeses, only two of which<\/a> are actually doused in their own beer.) So, while the style is undeniably a European invention, it\u2019s not tradition that excites today\u2019s American beer-washed cheese producers. It\u2019s the creative potential unearthed when brews meet rinds.<\/p>\n

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\nMt. Townsend Creamery Off Kilter<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

The Flavor Factor<\/h2>\n

Sitting down to taste 24 beer-washed cheeses from states spanning Vermont to Oregon, I can\u2019t tell they\u2019ve been bathed in beer. Most look like standard washed-rind stinkers: soft and runny to semisoft and springy with a tacky orange or ruddy rind. A few outliers are firm. One has a dry, crosshatched natural rind; another showcases a pinkish, fruity-smelling crust. Surely, I think, beer will make its presence known in the tasting. An IPA-washed cheese might offer up lean, bitter, and vegetal flavors while the stout- and porter-rinsed cheeses might be chocolatey and roasty. Not so.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t until I speak with several makers that I arrive at an a-ha moment, courtesy of Mt. Townsend Creamery<\/a> CEO Ryan Trail. \u201cI don\u2019t really get a lot of [the beer] flavor,\u201d he says of the company\u2019s Off Kilter<\/a>, washed in Pike Brewing Company Kilt Lifter<\/a> Scotch-style ale. \u201cIt\u2019s not a flavoring. We think about it as setting the right conditions for the microflora to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Jenkelunas, caves manager at New York\u2019s Murray\u2019s Cheese<\/a>, echoes the sentiment. In his stewardship of The Other Stephen<\/a>, a triple-cream Four Fat Fowl<\/a> St. Stephen<\/a> washed in Other Half Brewing Company Short, Dark & Handsome<\/a> stout, he finds that \u201cthe wash plays a background role,\u201d with flavor determined more directly by a cheese\u2019s culture blend. However, if the beer delivers \u201ca lot of sugars, you\u2019ll have higher yeast activity. It affects how vigorous the bacterial growth is on the surface of the cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, beer has a critical influence on cheese, but there isn\u2019t a direct correlation between a beer\u2019s flavor and a beer-washed cheese\u2019s flavor. The presence of beer, either on its own or as part of a brine wash, creates conditions in which other microbes will propagate. It changes a rind\u2019s levels of moisture, salt, and acidity, which impact a cheese\u2019s maturation cycle and, ultimately, its lifespan. It delivers, as Alemar Cheese Company<\/a> founder Keith Adams puts it, \u201can alchemy of flavors between beer and cheese. You can\u2019t necessarily taste the beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"OldChatham+CrownFinish_Trifecta_lrg2\"<\/a>
\nOld Chatham Sheepherding Company & Crown Finish Caves Trifecta<\/em><\/center>So, then, the flavors of beer-washed cheeses develop from the specific beer used combined with a cheese\u2019s unique moisture content, cultures, and aging environment. Chelsea Germer of Brooklyn\u2019s Crown Finish Caves<\/a> describes an experiment to illustrate: Trifecta<\/a>, which begins as unripened Old Chatham Sheepherding Company<\/a> Hudson Valley Camembert<\/a> (a bloomy-rind square of sheep\u2019s milk enriched with cow\u2019s cream), is bathed in Threes Brewing Wandering Bine<\/a> saison. Brewed with the wild and volatile Brettanomyces yeast, Wandering Bine was her final pick because it delivers \u201cmore rewarding flavor and complexity,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Originally, Germer tried an 11 percent alcohol-by-volume (ABV) beer but found it accelerated the cheese\u2019s degradation. Other trials ended with wildly different results. A sheep\u2019s milk camembert washed in chocolate stout boasted notes of broccoli while the same cheese washed in hard cider tasted like \u201ca bologna sandwich\u2014the sweetness of white bread with meatiness and mustard. It wasn\u2019t what you\u2019d expect,\u201d she says. In each instance, Germer\u2019s findings were the same: The final cheese never tasted like the beer it was washed in, but certain beers encouraged the development of desirable flavors.<\/p>\n

Every cheesemaker interviewed describes an unpredictable discovery process in choosing a beer wash, but all mimic Germer\u2019s experience at Crown Finish Caves: \u201cIt took a lot of trial and error to find the right beer\u2014[considering how they affect] flavor, rind development, and paste breakdown,\u201d she says. \u201cNot every beer is created equal [for washing cheeses].\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nSartori Raspberry BellaVitano<\/a><\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\u201cA rising tide raises all boats\u201d<\/h2>\n

Once upon a time, medieval monks washed their cheeses in beer out of necessity and practicality. Modern American cheesemakers have run with the style, motivated by creative spirit and recognition of craft brewers as cohorts in a burgeoning artisan revolution. To wit: In 2014, the number of operating craft breweries in America grew 19 percent from 2013, earning $19.6 billion or 19.3 percent of the total beer market, according to the Brewers Association<\/a>. Meanwhile, according to data from the US Census Bureau\u2019s 2012 Economic Census, the number of small cheesemaking operations (defined as employing up to 19 people) rose by 28 percent between 2007 and 2012.<\/p>\n

It helps that many American cheesemakers prefer to drink beer with their cheese. \u201cA lot of people think of pairing wine and cheese,\u201d says Trail of Mt. Townsend. \u201cI wish I could remember who made this comment, but the cows aren\u2019t eating grapes. The cows are eating barley.\u201d Introducing beer into the wash was an obvious step.<\/p>\n

Universally, cheesemakers source beer that is unfamiliar to the public, save for hardcore suds geeks or local residents. That\u2019s because they turn to neighbors for ales and lagers. While logistics play a part in this choice\u2014several producers mention the benefits of washing with freshly brewed beer that hasn\u2019t traveled\u2014it\u2019s more about how \u201ca rising tide raises all boats,\u201d says Sam Kennedy, co-cheesemaker at The Farm at Doe Run<\/a>. Many fledgling artisan cheesemakers and brewers treasure \u201ccollaboration and camaraderie,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Again and again, cheesemakers speak of craft brewers as their supporters and friends. Sarah Marcus, owner
\nof Briar Rose Creamery<\/a> in Portland, Ore., washes her goat cheese Lorelei in Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter<\/a>, first and foremost because the brewpub buys and serves her cheeses. Plus, porter lends the rind its signature rusty hue while permeating the cheese with lingering flavor. (Marcus tried washing the cheese with another brewery\u2019s IPA but didn\u2019t prefer the finished product.)<\/p>\n

\"ParntersinCraft_2\"<\/a>
\nMt. Mansfield Creamery Inspiration<\/em><\/center>Adams of Alemar Cheese Company was a fan of Minneapolis-based Surly Brewing Company<\/a> and its legislative work paving the way for craft breweries to open throughout the state, so he approached founder Omar Ansari and head brewer Todd Haug about collaborating on Alemar\u2019s The Good Thunder<\/a> bathed in Surly Brewing Bender<\/a>. His thinking: If \u201csomeone up the road is doing something cool with beer, maybe we can do something cool together,\u201d Adams says.<\/p>\n

And when Stan Biasini, owner and cheesemaker at Vermont\u2019s Mt. Mansfield Creamery<\/a>, was just starting out, he decided to differentiate his offerings by washing his Inspiration<\/a> cheese with Mountain Holidays in Vermont bock produced by standout Rock Art Brewery<\/a>. He has also used beer from The Alchemist<\/a> and the Vermont Pub and Brewery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a firm believer in joining [up with] companies that are already well established,\u201d he says. When Rock Art named Inspiration as a top pairing on its bottle label, Biasini was ecstatic. \u201cHow good is that, to have someone advertise for you?\u201d Working with local craft brewers provided an opportunity to reach an existing audience of food enthusiasts and tap into their marketing power.<\/p>\n

John Scaggs of Colorado\u2019s Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy<\/a> praises the business opportunity in joining forces with fellow producers, as Haystack has with Oskar Blues Brewery<\/a> to make its G\u2019Knight<\/a> imperial red IPA-washed goat cheese, A Cheese Named Sue<\/a>. \u201cAs a cheese marketer I\u2019m thrilled that beer and cheese work so beautifully together,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing so many more collaborations in areas where cheesemakers and craft breweries are popping up. We\u2019re all looking for ways to present these experiences to our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cheese and beer fans, it seems, face a tall task in trying them all.<\/p>\n

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\nHaystack Mountain Goat Dairy A Cheese Named Sue<\/em><\/center> <\/p>\n

Tasting Notes<\/h2>\n

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Raspberry BellaVitano<\/a><\/h3>\n