{"id":28871,"date":"2017-01-16T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-01-16T14:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=28871"},"modified":"2019-08-06T14:35:57","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T18:35:57","slug":"beantown-beer-plus-cheese-oxbow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/beantown-beer-plus-cheese-oxbow\/","title":{"rendered":"Beantown Beer + Cheese: Oxbow Brewing Company"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there\u2019s one thing I love as much as good cheese, it\u2019s good beer\u2014and living in New England, there\u2019s no shortage of either. For my blog series<\/em> Beantown Beer + Cheese<\/strong>, I asked local brewers about their signature beers and cheese pairing recommendations.<\/em><\/p>\n

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We’re not in Beantown anymore, dear readers: We crossed state lines for this installment on Oxbow Brewing Company<\/a> in Newcastle, Maine. The five-year-old company is known for its Belgian-style farmhouse ales\u2014saisons, griesttes, biere de gardes, oh my!\u2014brewed in a farmhouse out in the woods (where else?). Saisons<\/a> in particular have gained traction in the American scene over the past decade. Oxbow employs aging and blending techniques that allow them to produce a huge range of sour brews\u2014and stand out from the craft pack. <\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve been very diligent about putting beer away in barrels\u2014we\u2019ve just started to really amass this wonderful assortment of barrel-aged beers, making the blending job that much more exciting,” head brewer Tim Adams says. “I compare it to a painter who has different colors of paint on his palette. And the more colors of paint that you have on there, the more creative you can get with blending the colors together to get unique shades.” This artistry happens at their Blending & Bottling<\/a> facility in Portland, Maine, which also serves as a public tasting room.<\/p>\n

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\nBusy at the Oxbow Brewery in Newcastle, Maine \/ Photo credit: Andrew Foster<\/a><\/small><\/div>\n

And Oxbow is no stranger to curds: Local Hahn’s End<\/a> cheese company washes its creamy aged cow’s milk cheese Lynn\u2014named for the incomparable country singer\u2014with the brewery’s Loretta, a light, wheat-forward grisette with slight lemon tartness. <\/p>\n

Below, a rundown of Oxbow’s most popular and upcoming seasonal brews, plus some pairing ideas from Adams:<\/p>\n

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Farmhouse Pale Ale <\/strong>(6% ABV): Adams explains that this dry saison is brewed in the traditional way, but made with American hops to lend a citrusy edge to its slight peppery and floral notes. A smooth camembert with a light funk could be a good match.<\/p>\n

Try it with:<\/p>\n