Some of my earliest recollections of life involve beer. Not drinking it, of course-my grandmother would have disapproved, and my grandmother ruled much of our lives with the fist that begat iron-but watching my father and his friends drink it as we watched the Cubs games on TV at the local ”beer joint” (no euphemisms here). I slurped my ginger ale while my father sipped his Fox Deluxe, Drewrys or ”What`ll you have, Pabst Blue Ribbon.”
Our drinks were different, but our selection of nibbles was not: beer cheese was the order of the day. To dip a chip, Beer Nut or just a finger into the squat brown mug of salty, tangy, spreadable processed cheese food and wash it down with the ”brewski” or kiddie cocktail was just fine by us. And I thought that bartender was the most generous man on Earth, providing us with all that free food, until I was informed that the cheese just made us order more drinks to slake our thirsts. Innocence is lost in so many little ways… Today the nation is still drinking beer and eating cheese in prodigious amounts: The latest figures show that on average each one of us consumes 26 gallons of beer and 26 pounds of cheese (a wonderful statistical symmetry there). In fact, America is the largest cheese and beer producer in the world. And as far as our little patch of land in the center of the country-currently called the Heartland-is concerned, the Midwest makes close to 50 percent of all the cheese (Wisconsin alone produces almost 40 percent) and a fifth of all the beer in the nation. (Illinoisans alone, according to Jerry Steinman, publisher of the trade journal Beer Marketing Insights, drank over 9 million barrels last year.)
It makes sense. Beer is made from corn, wheat, barley and rice; cheese comes from the milk of cows that graze on our pastures-both Midwestern strengths. Also, much of our heritage is directly linked with those European countries that have developed a wealth of experience with and a love of both. And both cheese and beer are simple, satisfying and filling foods. In the past, when we needed more of their calories just to survive the arduous labor of the farms and fields, they were a necessity; today a less physically strenuous time for most of us, they`re just a good-and healthy-fast-food combination.
The relationship between beer and cheese is strong, not only in how they complement one another in a meal setting but in more metaphorical senses as well.
One begins as a solid (grain) and ends up as a liquid, while the other starts as a liquid (milk) that is translated into something from creamy to very firm in texture. Both are fermented. Both are strained: the curds from the whey and the spent grain from the wort, the liquid from which beer is ultimately brewed. Both must be treated before release-beer is racked and filtered, cheese is rubbed, washed and salted. And both beer and cheese must be aged, or cured, before they become enjoyable. It`s no wonder they match so well in the mouth. Or do they?
”Speaking for myself, I think you`d need a Jesuit education to get confidently specific about why one (beer) amplifies or diminishes the experience (of one cheese).” So writes taster Jan Ponchalek of our little journey into beer-and-cheese matching. He wasn`t far off the base, for, to celebrate the largesse of the Heartland, we asked him and several others to provide us with their opinions on how well the local solids went with the local liquids. Specifically, we gathered 23 beers from Midwestern breweries and matched the beers are all locally available and ranged from the quite distinctive products of the so-called microbreweries to the mass-appeal, commercial beverages from the giant producers of the area. The cheeses were provided by Omer Reese of the Country Connection in Evanston.
Our dedicated tasters included Marty Nachel, of Baron`s Beer Specialities in Bridgeview; Thomas Demme, beer-sales manager for Union Liquors, a wholesaler; Martha Ekwurtzel, sales representative for Buckingham Wile, an importer; William Ware, bar manager at the Cafe Royal; Peter Burrell, ex-brewmaster of Sieben`s Brewery and now an independent consultant; Jan Ponchalek, co-owner of Sheffield`s, a brew-pub; William Rice, food and wine columnist for The Chicago Tribune; Judy Hevrdejs, who often writes about food for The Chicago Tribune; and this writer.
Our goal was to provide tips for doing your own beer-and-cheese party. The opinions expressed, as with the people who offered them, were disparate and even contradictory. But some generalizations-as well as their exceptions- could be made.
Mass-marketed beers don`t go with cheeses that have personality. Almost unanimously the tasters agreed that the Budweisers, Millers and Old Styles of the world are completely overpowered by the spice of the Monterey Jack with jalapeno, the three smoked cheeses and the sharpness of the 4-year-old cheddar. ”Stronger cheeses bring out the watery character in (these lighter- flavored) beers,” taster Peter Burrell says.
The converse seems to to be true as well. For instance, taster William Ware commented that Point beer, considered a cult classic because of its rarity here but essentially not incredibly distinctive compared with some of the rest, paired with the mild-flavored curds were ”like apple pie and baseball.” (Paired with another, ”a Wisconsin boy`s dream.”)
However, a minority view scored points as well. William Rice thought that ”several of the lighter beers-Augsburger, Meister Brau, Eau Claire, Cold Spring, etc.-did well against the 4-year-old cheddar, an extremely good example of flavor, texture and tang, and he said it gave Special Export ”a third dimension.” Likewise, taster Martha Ekwurtzel opined that the smoked Gouda was ”the cheese for beer” (again, with Special Export).
Another observation: Maltier beers tended to stand up to the stronger and spicier cheeses. Some beers, notably Ambier, Erlanger, Schell, Eau Claire, Berghoff and, to a lesser extent Ed Debevic`s and Stroh`s, displayed the flavor of roasted barley malt. To this taster these beers did extremely well against the smoked cheeses-”smoke with smoke,” read my notes. (Incidentally, as smoked cheeses go, these were surprisingly and, to me, satisfyingly delicate, the Swiss showing a bit more of this flavor than the Gouda.) And although I thought the jalapeno spice killed all the beers, taster Demme remarked that the ”maltiness (of the above-mentioned beers) overcame the spiciness of the jalapeno,” about which he said was ”not overbearing-one of the best”.
But again, there were opposing comments. Judy Hevrdejs thought that the jalapeno ”may have found its match in the Old Style.” And Marty Nachel thought the ”cold and sweet (of the relatively light Miller`s) offset the
(jalapeno) spice nicely.” Lastly, with respect to the jalapeno cheese, the Meister Brau, one of the lightest beers, according to Rice, ”brought out the sweetness in the beer as counterpoint to the pepper.”
Lastly, coldness and carbon-dioxide content aid in pairing. Even the lightest and least distinctive of the beers seemed to do better the colder they were and the fizzier they were. For instance, the stronger-than-average tangy ”fizziness” of the Budweiser, Hamm`s (those who dismissed it a decade ago should try again) and Stroh`s helped it stand up to many of the cheeses, judging by overall comments. As for the temperature of the beer, it is well known that cold on the palate tends to anesthesize it, making it less sensitive to nuances of flavor.
One last point, made irrespective of cheese and beer pairings: Beer tends to spoil quickly. When cheeses begin to spoil, it is relatively easy to spot the moldiness or to smell the ammonia or the dank, basementlike aromas. If you decide to arrange such a tasting party, get fresh beer. With respect to canned beer, this is difficult to notice at the retail level. As for bottled beers-and with the exception of the Point, Griesedieck, Hamm`s and Meister Brau, we tasted bottled beers-you can look at them through the light of the store and get hints. If there is a hazy deposit in the bottom of tknown as
”bottle-conditioned,” i.e., the yeast of fermentation having been left in the bottle, as is the case with ”weiss bier” or some imported brands. Also, some beers, like many wines, become oxidized or detrimentally affected by contact with air. If your beer smells stale or reminds you of paper, it is probably too old. It`s a good idea, then, to purchase beer from a retailer who maintains a fresh stock. Just ask him or her when they bought it from their supplier. If it was more than a few months prior to your visit, pass it by. Wisconsin cheeses assembled for the tasting include (clockwise from top left) a full-cream Swiss, a 4-year old extra-sharp cheddar and an applewood-smoked Swiss.
Shopping information is on page 38.
THE BEERS AND CHEESES TASTED
Brand Brewer City Price+
Ambier Vienna Style Ambier Brewing Co. Monroe, Wis. $5
Augsburger Jos. Huber Brewing Co. Monroe, Wis $2.50
Ballantine Ale Falstaff Brewing Co. Ft. Wayne, Ind. $3.25
Berghoff Dortmunder Jos. Huber Brewing Co. Monroe, Wis. $4.50
Budweiser Anheuser-Busch, Inc. St. Louis $3
Cold Spring Export Cold Spring Brewing Co. Cold Spring, Minn. $4
Ed Debevic`s Jos. Huber Brewing Co. Monroe, Wis. $5
Eau Claire All Malt Hibernia Brewing Ltd. Eau Claire, Wis. $5
Erlanger Marzen Bier Dubuque Star Brewing Co.Dubuque, Ia. $3.50
Hamm`s Pabst Brewing Co. Milwaukee $2
Leinenkugel`s Jacob Leinenkugel Chippewa Falls,
Brewing Co Wis. $3.50
Little Kings Cream Schoenling Brewing Co. Cincinnati $3.50
Ale
Meister Brau Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee $2
Michelob Anheuser-Busch, Inc. St. Louis $3.50
Miller High Life Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee $3
Christian Moerlein Hudepohl Brewing Co. Cincinnati $4
Old Style G. Heileman Brewing Co. La Crosse, Wis. $2.50
Pabst Blue Ribbon Pabst Brewing Co. Milwaukee $1.25
Point Special Stevens Point Brewery Stevens Point,
Wis. $4
August Schell Pilsner August Schell Brewing
Co. New Ulm, Minn. $8
Special Export G. Heileman Brewing Co. La Crosse, Wis. $3.50
Stroh`s Stroh Brewing Co. La Crosse, Wis. $3.50
+for six-pack; Pabst price quart bottle.
The cheeses
Applewood-smoked Gouda
Applewood-smoked Swiss
Monterey Jack with jalapeno
4-year-old extra-sharp cheddar
1-year-old cheddar
Medium-aged creamy brick
1 1/2-year-old full-cream Swiss
Sharp cheddar curds
