Overlooked too many times is cheese’s long time mistress and our dear friend, beer. Wine geeks and beer enthusiasts alike have argued for years on which pairs better. For myself the answer is clear. For my dear friend and Bluebird sommelier Jeremy Quinn, the reply will undoubtedly be different.
Wine, beer, and cheese all grew up on the farm. The grain nourished the livestock, the livestock nourished the vineyard, the vineyard nourished the wine, and the wine nourishes our souls. Livestock made milk, which eventually morphed into cheese. The same grain that kept the cows plowing and utters producing milk also went into beer for brewing. (I should probably throw cider into this conversation as well but we’ll save that for another time!)
To say that any of these amazing human achievements is in any way superior to the other in all sincerity is quite ridiculous. But the American spirit of competition is unrelenting and who the hell are we to fight it? Which leads us to a very special event where beer challenges wine in a cheese pairing faceoff!