cheese bar Archives - Pechluck's Food Adventures

First Look at Chizu

March 18, 2015 by Pechluck 1 Comment

As a cheese lover / cheese addict, when Chizu, the west side new outpost of acclaimed cheesemonger Steve Cheese Jones opened, of course I had to be there on their first day. Ok, maybe his name is only Steve Jones – but in Portland every restaurant with a Steve’s Cheese Plate is from this one and only Steve. This location of Chizu at 1126 SW Alder Street is just right next door to Multnomah Whiskey Library. Unlike MWL which only has a door leading down a hallway to it’s whiskey library enclosed atmosphere, Chizu has huge tall windows up front and you can see the whole dining space.
Chizu at at 1126 SW Alder Street is right next door to Multnomah Whiskey Library Chizu has tall bright windows that let in a lot of light into the space, and there is a 6 top right by the window, the only official table in the place when I visited. The rest are all cheese bar seats

The dining area consists of one 6-top table by the front (the only official table and chair seating in the place) and then 12 seats at the cheese bar on high chairs. The space is tiny, 450 square feet, very intimate but not stuffy thanks to the 2 story height.

The seats at the cheese bar gives you only a narrow counter space for your table, but is also where you can also gaze at the beautiful wood and the cases of cheese, arranged like they were art pieces inside their glass enclosures. I did notice on one side of the wall there is a very small counter if needed for standing room but doesn’t seem like it could hold more than a beverage glass and maybe cocktail napkin with a wedge of cheese on it.
Chizu has tall bright windows that let in a lot of light into the space, and there is a 6 top right by the window, the only official table in the place when I visited. The rest are all cheese bar seats Whimsical Art hanging on the wall of Chizu in Portland

Chizu means cheese in Japanese. The concept of Chizu Bar is Japanese inspired, similar to that of a sushi/sashimi bar where you select your cheese a la carte on a paper card, or for your chosen price let yourself at the mercy of the cheese person for a cheese omakase, chef’s choice.
At Chizu, you can gaze at the artfully arranged cheeses in the cases at the cheese bar and order whatever cheese you'd like a la carte similar to sushi and sashimi

You can also match your cheeses with wine, apertif/digestif, non-alcoholic beverages, beer or cider or sake that Steve has carefully curated to a list of half a dozen for the wines or beer, only a handful for the others. Meanwhile the cheese selections number 30, which Steve is planning to rotate every month. Each cheese, besides its origin and type, also includes a few helpful adjectives to evoke a general idea of the cheese’s personality.
At Chizu, you can gaze at the artfully arranged cheeses in the cases at the cheese bar and order whatever cheese you'd like a la carte similar to sushi and sashimi

Examples: from the cheeses my friend and I ordered during our visit on that first day: my favorite on her plate was the Veigadarte
A cheese board at Chizu that includes Veigadarte, a goat cheese from Spain; Beaufort D'été, a raw cow cheese from France; Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk cow cheese from California

Veigadarte, a goat cheese from Spain: Fluffy Cheesecake, Lemon, Pepper
Beaufort D’été, a raw cow cheese from France: Floral, Buttery, Hazelnuts, Cream
Cowgirl Creamery’s Red Hawk cow cheese from California: Decadent, Pungent, Bacon Fat

A cheese board at Chizu that includes Veigadarte, a goat cheese from Spain; Beaufort D'été, a raw cow cheese from France; Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk cow cheese from California

And here, my cheese selection that day. I really loved all three.
A cheese board at Chizu that includes Mountain Lodge's Wonderland, a raw goat cheese from Washington; Sternschnuppe, a raw cow's cheese from Germany; Westfield's Capri Classic Blue Log, a goat cheese from Massachusetts

Mountain Lodge’s Wonderland, a raw goat cheese from Washington: Pleasantly Goaty, Rustic, Apple Skin
Sternschnuppe, a raw cow’s cheese from Germany: Tonkotsu Ramen, Nutmeg, Seeded Bread
Westfield’s Capri Classic Blue Log, a goat cheese from Massachusetts: Fresh, Lactic, Egg Yolk

A cheese board at Chizu that includes Mountain Lodge's Wonderland, a raw goat cheese from Washington; Sternschnuppe, a raw cow's cheese from Germany; Westfield's Capri Classic Blue Log, a goat cheese from Massachusetts

There are no hot dishes, all the cheese is pure uncooked form. But there are a few other accompaniments such as demi-baguette slices, pickles, hazelnut wasabi nuts, and charcuterie or this amazing Duck Board with smoked duck breast, duck salami and ginger pickles.

Certainly, in putting together a cheese board of 3-4 one ounce servings of cheeses, you can probably expect to be paying about $4-5 for each cheese on the board, and then additional for a little bread or maybe some other accompaniment, which adds up to close to $20 without counting a drink yet. And this can’t be described as a filling dinner. This is a place for starters or a just a bite to eat, not a meal.

However, it must be noted that the selection of cheeses here is really impressive, with many cheeses that are carefully procured from all over the US or the world and that you won’t see possibly anywhere else in Portland. If you want to really pick out some artisan cheeses, this is the place for you. The room is small but will probably turning over quickly since it’s just a snack.
At Chizu, you can gaze at the artfully arranged cheeses in the cases at the cheese bar and order whatever cheese you'd like a la carte similar to sushi and sashimi

Since this was only their opening day, I don’t know what will happen yet for Chizu. Even with the rotating cheeses every month, I worry whether there’s enough fellow cheese lovers in Portland to keep Chizu consistently supported since it’s just cheese in its pure form, cut from the wheel to you to pop on your mouth. The space is too small for them to do retail, so it’s for tasting cheese only right now. I hope he gets a list of cheeses in rotation online as seeing certain cheeses would draw me in… Man I hope burrata makes it in.

In the future I wonder if Steve might entertain doing special cheese pairing events (similar to the progression I love to experience every year at the Beer and Cheese Festival I have covered multiple times in 2014, 2013, 2012…) but with the advantage of being seated. Or, maybe a cheese journey or cheese class where he crafts the progression for us along with telling tales from the cheese makers, all in a small special omakase night experience. But I’m projecting here, and I’m curious to see where Chizu where go. Steve is understandably a bit busy as not only has he just opened Chizu, but the Cheese Bar 2/Cheese Bar Annex will be the food service in the space within The Commons Brewery that is opening in a few week. So maybe when both finally have their doors open we can start to see more what the cheese empire of Steve is going to expand with.

Are you a cheese addict like me? What are your favorite kinds of cheeses? I love very buttery cheeses, aged cheeses that might even crystalline crunch to them, cheeses that have gotten extra special flavorings added such as a rub in rosemary or espresso or beer, added cumin, have been smoked… or cheeses that are very fresh so I feel like I might have just eaten it out of the cheesemaker’s kitchen and it was made just earlier that day (like Ladysmith. Burrata. Only one day or two old homemade ricotta never kept in plastic). Have you been to Steve’s Cheese Bar?

Filed Under: Cheese, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: Beaufort D'été, Capri Classic Blue, cheese bar, cheese board, cheese tasting, Chizu Bar, Chizu Cheese Bar, Chizu PDX, Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk, Duck Board, duck salami, Mountain Lodge's Wonderland, pdx, portland, Red Hawk cheese, smoked duck, Sternschnuppe, Steve Jones, Veigadarte, Westfield's Capri Classic Blue Log, Wonderland cheese

Fruit Beer and Cheese

April 23, 2014 by Pechluck 2 Comments

I attend lots of different beer events all throughout the year, but don’t usually post about them- most of the time I might do a promotion post just to get the word out for an event I think needs to be shared, but not a recap. Untappd is my main beer outlet.

I also have been purposely avoiding writing about my favorite beer bar, which is like F and my Cheers, because we don’t want it to get too crowded. However, I really enjoyed a recent event at The Upper Lip, and thought I would share anyway to give props to what an amazing beer event it was and to encourage more like this from them or from anyone!
Breakside Brewing / 10 Barrel Brewing Fruit Beer event at The Upper Lip with cheese pairings by the awesome Steve of Cheese Bar

Perhaps when you think about fruit beer, you think of just a bunch of girly beer that tastes sweet and like juice and not much like beer at all. I hope not- and I think that the Portland Fruit Beer Festival, now returning for its 4th year, has helped a lot with that misconception.

I thought I would write this post about the beers at this event I just attended, just to reinforce that fruit beer is awesome, and what it can entail.

This event was a Breakside Brewing / 10 Barrel Brewing Fruit Beer event at The Upper Lip with cheese pairings by the awesome Steve of Cheese Bar. I have enjoyed many a Breakside beer and been to a few of their events since they are here in Portland, but 10 Barrel Brewing is harder to get as they are based in Bend and their fruit beers don’t usually make it here to Portland. Even better, with the price of admission, besides getting tasters of 8 beers we would also get 4 cheeses that were specially paired!
Breakside Brewing / 10 Barrel Brewing Fruit Beer event at The Upper Lip with cheese pairings by the awesome Steve of Cheese Bar

The first pairing was Fresh Ladysmith a cow cheese from Samish Bay, WA. I’ve had this cheese several times- not just because Steve seems to love pairing it, but because it just goes well with so many beers. During Thanksgiving I saw it at a co-op in San Juan WA and bought a 1/2 pound that was gone by the Sunday we were heading back. I also really enjoyed many of their other cheeses while at the The Wedge Cheese festival.

The Fresh Ladysmith was paired with the Breakside Gooseberry Wheat and the Breakside Peach Pale. The Gooseberry Wheat was a wheat ale with pureed Oregon gooseberries from Oregon Fruit Products and had a subtle tartness to the wheat beer. Meanwhile, the Peach Pale offered a lot of hop flavor (specifically Citra and Amarillo) and had a nice peach nose but I didn’t detect much peach flavor.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Gooseberry Wheat was a wheat ale with pureed Oregon gooseberries from Oregon Fruit Products and had a subtle tartness to the wheat beer. Paired with Fresh Ladysmith a cow cheese from Samish Bay, WA

Next was the pairing of Pastorale from Sartori of WI, a sheep and cow milk cheese with the Breakside Kriek with Brett and the 10 Barrel Strawberry Crush. In this berry face-off, the 10 Barrel was the winner with its strong fresh strawberry puree flavor and it is so sad that this was a one-off keg made exclusively for this event. I hope they made more of it. A lot more. This was my favorite beer of the event.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Kriek with Brett, pairing of Pastorale from Sartori of WI, a sheep and cow milk cheese

The next cheese pairing was Adnatou from Black Sheep, a WA sheep and cow cheese. This was paired with the Breakside Beaujolais Avec Brett and the 10 Barrel Apricot Crush. Both of these beers were amazing- the Beaujolais Avec Brett is a strong ale with a bit of sourness thanks to being fermented wild yeast and bacteria and use of Oregon grown Gamay grapes. It was really enjoyed by some at my table, while I was hoping for a bit more sourness. Meanwhile, the 10 Barrel Apricot Crush was my second favorite beer of the event with its complexity of flavors.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Beaujolais Avec Brett is a strong ale with a bit of sourness thanks to being fermented wild yeast and bacteria and use of Oregon grown Gamay grapes. Paired with Adnatou from Black Sheep, a WA sheep and cow cheese

The last pairing was the Smokey Blue cow cheese from Rogue Creamery OR. I admit I actually started with this cheese and its beers because I had really been curious about these two beers the most. The beers here were the Breakside Smoked Apple Ale and the 10 Barrel Cucumber Crush. The Smoked Apple Ale was a mix of smoked malt, freshly pressed apple juice, and apple pie spices but I guess I built it too much in my head as I was disappointed by how subtle the flavors were.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Smoked Apple Ale was a mix of smoked malt, freshly pressed apple juice, and apple pie spices
On the other hand, the Cucumber Crush was all you would expect it to be in terms of being super light and refreshing, like cucumber water but so much better because it’s a BerlinerWeiss beer (all 3 10 Barrel fruit beers here, and all the beers of their Crush series, are Berliner Weiss style which then have various fruits added). I would drink this all summer long if I could get it.

This was a fantastic event- I loved that it offered tastings of beer with cheese pairings, and it was incredible to be able to get access to 10 Barrel Crush series beers. The event was ticketed and sold out, which allowed us plenty of room up stairs to enjoy sitting at a table and chatting with other beer and cheese aficionados in a relaxing atmosphere without the usual loud “wooooos” or lines of a normal beer fest. No worrying about balancing a drink and cheese here!

There is a confirmed rumor first published by Brewpublic and then confirmed by Eater that 10 Barrel will be opening a pub here in Portland in the former Mellow Mushroom space by mid-summer, and I eagerly hope that the rumors turn out to be true!Of course depending on what they do with the space whether it’s mid-summer or end of this year or who knows when we’ll have to see.

I should also let you know that this coming Saturday the 26th that Bailey’s Taproom is holding their annual Germanfest– check out the beer list and see if you are interested! Usually I am torn between attending Germanfest and the Eat Mobile food cart festival, but this year they moved Eat Mobile to Sunday the 27th, so I will be at Germanfest this year. This 4th annual GermanFest will feature German style beers brewed by Oregon breweries as the name suggests (including 10 Barrel German Sparkle Party Berlinerweiss and Breakside Ice Smoked Eisbock) with general admission beginning at 2 PM and until close (you purchase beers as you order them, no admission fee).

There are a few advance entry VIP tickets for $20 (which is what I got). These tickets include five tastes but also allow entrance two hours earlier from 12-2 PM, providing a less frenzied experience as well as guaranteeing a seat somewhere in a far less crowded bar. I also like to bring a cheese plate with me to enjoy the beers, but as Baileys doesn’t serve food you can also feel free to order Santeria Mexican food from next door.

If you are interested in trying some fruit beer, also check out the taps at Breakside Brewing as some of these beers are available (check out the video below that highlights how they made the fruit beer in partnership with Oregon Fruit Products).

Finally, be sure to look forward to the Portland Fruit Beer Festival– tickets for this June 7 – 8 event are already on sale at $20 general admission Saturday 11am-9pm or Sunday 11am-6pm, or go for $30 VIP admission on Friday June 6 4-9pm and limited to 400 VIP guests + supposedly a few special tappings.

The festival will be held Burnside Brewing at 701 SE Burnside again. Burnside Brewing will be open, so you can still get a cheese plate to compliment your beers, or my personal favorite their cohiba cigar and/or beer cheese curds on their menu!

Aren’t you inspired to have some cheese and beer now? I am just writing this post! If you would like some tips on pairing beer and cheese, check out this great post “Cheese and Beer Pairing Tips From Steve Jones of Portland’s Cheese Bar” from Serious Eats with pointers from Steve while at this event himself (and also photos from this event!)

What kind of fruit beer would you want to try?

Filed Under: Beer Review, Cheese, Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: 10 Barrel Apricot Crush, 10 Barrel Brewing, 10 Barrel Cucumber Crush, 10 Barrel Strawberry Crush, beer and cheese pairing, Black Sheep Adnatou, Breakside Beaujolais Avec Brett, Breakside brewing, Breakside Gooseberry Wheat, Breakside Peach Pale, Breakside Smoked Apple Ale, cheese bar, Fresh Ladysmith, Fruit Beer, Fruit Beer and Cheese, Oregon Fruit Products, Portland Fruit Beer Festival, Rogue Smokey Blue, Sartori Pastorale, The Upper Lip

Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese – Portland Release Party

November 22, 2013 by Pechluck 12 Comments

I was super thrilled when Tiffany from Thyme of Taste shared that there was a special event for Melt: The Art of Macaroni & Cheese occurring at Steve Jones’ Cheese Bar. First of all, I love cheese, and I will take any excuse/rationalization necessary to go to cheese.

I also love Steve Jones, as I have enjoyed all the cheese education he has been imparting on me since the best cheese extravaganza I have ever experienced, his Cheese Bar Spectacular with Ten 01 back in 2010 with its 101 cheeses. That was a one time event, my first time meeting Steve, and was an important jumpstart of my cheese knowledge as it really upped my familiarity with local cheeses. Thankfully, there are still Steve’s annual pairing of beers and cheese (recaps of Portland Beer & Cheese Fest 2012 and Portland Beer & Cheese Fest 2013 as examples, and has done events with Lardo and Raven & Rose, among others). He also helps curate cheese plates for so many of the amazing restaurants in Portland.

Steve Jones of Cheese Bar offering cheeses and charcuterie at Bailey's Taproom- 2007-2012 5th Anniversary Gloriousness

Cheese plates are a great way to try lots of cheeses affordably, rather than buying them by weight $7-10 at a time – instead, you have the opportunity to taste several cheeses for the same price. You can never go wrong with a cheese plate curated with Steve’s Cheese- such as this one below of 11/17/2013, a Cheese Board of Remeker Pure Borenkaas (Raw Cow – Holland), Gran Cacio Etrusco (Sheep – Italy), and the Crottin (Goat – France). This was my first crottin! I’m a big fan of Borenkaas as they go wonderfully with beer with its nuttiness- this is true of most Dutch cheeses I think. The sheep cheese went best with the chutney you see on the board, and the Crottin’s grassiness was balanced out by the glass of red wine I was having.

11/17/2013 Steve's Cheese Bar Cheese Board: Remeker Pure Borenkaas (Raw Cow - Holland), Gran Cacio Etrusco (Sheep - Italy), and the Crottin (Goat - France)

If you want to appreciate cheese more, the key thing I would suggest you do is keep notes of what cheeses you had- particularly ones that you really love, or really hate. This will help you understand your tastes. An easy way to do this is to just have one document on your phone/cloud that you can use to make your notations. I often take photos of the cheese and the label if I’m dining out so that I don’t have to spend a lot of time typing into my phone instead of socializing. BTW this same trick works with wine!

The Cheese Bar is Steve’s place, a great cheese shop where you can procure marvelous exquisite cheeses from around the world, plus get access to the genius award winning knowledge of cheesemonger Steve or whoever is behind the counter to help select cheeses (and often sample as well to help make decisions!). But you don’t have to just subsist on the samples of cheese alone. Cheese Bar is also a beer/wine bar and cafe, offering multiple types of cheese plates (a cheese plate of the day, soft ripened cheese plate, blue cheese plate, etc) as well as other small plates of food varying from pimento spread to grilled cheese or fondue in order for you to try lots of kinds of cheeses.

Even more enthralling for this last visit for me however was the fact that Stephanie Stiavetti of the Culinary Life blog was hosting the Portland launch party for the book Melt: The Art of Macaroni & Cheese (co authored with Garrett McCord of food blog, Vanilla Garlic) at Cheese Bar. At the book launch party, she was offering two examples of the mac dishes from the cookbook! Amazon link: http://bit.ly/meltmacaroni. And this was a free public event!

PS. Stephanie has cut her hair and is even more adorable than the photo below. Check out her Facebook or Google+ for more updates and photos from the tour.
Stephanie Stiavetti of the Culinary Life blog, one of the authors of Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese Garrett McCord of food blog, Vanilla Garlic, one of the authors of Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese

I was so there!

The first sample was a cold pasta salad of Drunken Goat with Edamame, Fennel, and Rotini. I was surprised how fresh and salady with herbaciousness this take on mac and cheese was, with only the cubes of Drunken Goat cheese and a light lemony oil dressing.
Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese recipe, a cold pasta salad of Drunken Goat with Edamame, Fennel, and Rotini

The second sample she offered was the Lincolnshire Poacher with Cotija, Chorizo and Penne. Of course she used real chorizo meat, but based on the flavor profile I think Soyrizo would work just as well- they key is the grassy contribution of the Lincolnshire Poacher cheese with the salty crumble of the Cotija.
Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese recipe, Lincolnshire Poacher with Cotija, Chorizo and Penne

Although that sounds so specific to pick out Lincolnshire Poacher or the Drunken Goat as the cheese to utilize, the book does suggest several other alternate cheeses that can be substituted in, and she’s great at pointing out the specific flavors of the cheese she was looking for, so you can also chat with your local cheesemonger.

The key differentiator here for me is that Stephanie and Garrett really focused on highlighting the unique exquisite flavors of high quality artisan cheeses, and they prepare them in a large variety of kinds of dishes to really expand the what you can do with these cheeses besides enjoying them on a cheese plate. Though, nothing wrong with a cheese plate of course, brimming with multiple cheeses. 🙂

The recipes really run the gamut, from salad to stovetop baked and casserole to dessert, and also bring in influences of flavor profiles internationally, such as Greek, Mexican, Indian, and even Asian! That’s what really drew me to the book- even though the book title starts out with “Melt”, it’ s not always about throwing in cheese and cream over pasta into the oven. The recipes are a lot more diverse than that so that you could possibly be making more than one of these dishes in a week without feeling like it’s a repeat, since the recipes can be so unique in taste.

Some examples that I am so so excited to make:

Pumpkin stuffed with sausage and fontina recipe,
Raclette with Farfalle, Cornichons, and Sauteed Onions
Turkey and Robusto Mac and Cheeselet (perfect after Thanksgiving as a way to use up some leftover turkey!!)
Chicken Breast Stuffed with Leonora Goat Cheese, Star Pasta, and Gingersnap

Pumpkin stuffed with sausage and fontina recipe from Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese Raclette with Farfalle, Cornichons, and Sauteed Onions recipe from Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese
Turkey and Robusto Mac and Cheeselet (perfect after Thanksgiving as a way to use up some leftover turkey!!) recipe from Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese Chicken Breast Stuffed with Leonora Goat Cheese, Star Pasta, and Gingersnap from Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese
Photo Credit: Matt Armendariz, courtesy of Little, Brown and Company

Each recipe also suggest wine pairings, as well as other snacky pairings with the cheese (such as certain fruit) in case you are assembling a cheese plate or perhaps brainstorming another recipe. The book, which has about 75 recipes, is chock full of gorgeous, enticing photos that make you want to cook everything in the book. After only flipping through a few chapters I was already ready to throw out the Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe I had earmarked for Thanksgiving this year in order to try some of the recipes above.

Thankfully, wiser minds prevailed, and instead my friend and I discussed how we could just ADD another recipe for another day during our Thanksgiving vacation instead.

Also, maybe I bought 4 cheeses from Cheese Bar for the cheese plate on Thanksgiving Day. Until Thanksgiving early dinner is ready, a bottle of wine and a cheese tray and vegetable tray are the snacks to keep us fueled during our Thanksgiving meal is ready. I said I was going to buy 3, but I bought 4. This seems to always happen. I mean, it only added up to 1.25 pounds of cheese. For four people. And that’s only half the cheese plate.

I’ll report back on what I make from the Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese cookbook, but meanwhile, here is a bit more on the book, including their cookbook trailer! I am SO RECOMMENDING THIS BOOK. And this is not a sponsored post- I just really love it!

Melt: the Art of Macaroni and Cheese – The Official Trailer from Stephanie/SJS on Vimeo.

MELT: THE ART OF MACARONI AND CHEESE is a cookbook that reinvents the American classic, macaroni and cheese, with gourmet ingredients, handcrafted artisan cheeses, and unique flavor combinations. It is the first book to marry the American standard, macaroni and cheese, with handcrafted artisan cheeses and a wide array of pastas, producing dishes that are both classic and chic.

Filed Under: Book Review, Cheese Tagged With: artisan cheeses, cheese, cheese bar, cheese plate, cookbook, cookbook review, mac and cheese, mac and cheese cookbook, macaroni and cheese, Melt, Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, steve's cheese

Portland Beer & Cheese Fest 2013

June 17, 2013 by Pechluck 13 Comments

Welcome to photos of Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2013, returning for the 2nd year yesterday and finishing off PDX Beer Week was the Portland Beer and Cheese Festival! I loved it last year (see my post it on last year), and this year was another winning repeat. The event, which was again all by advanced ticket so as to control the amount of attendees and prepare tastings accordingly, paired 10 beers from 10 local breweries each with an artisan cheese courtesy of World Champion Cheesemonger Steve Jones of Cheese Bar and in addition Chop butchery provided complimentary charcuterie at a table for your own savory meat cleanser/complement as needed. I mean, just look at Chop’s amazing meat board, which they kept filled during the event!

Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2013: charcuterie provided by Chop Butchery

The event takes place at the Commons Brewery, although as noted the beers come from a variety of breweries.

Here were the ten pairings of this event:

Pfriem Family Brewers: Wit, paired with Fern’s Edge Dairy Mt. Zion, raw goat, Oregon. The Wit was a light beer that was refreshing and had a good yeasty body, even a bit of spice characteristic to it that was paired with the aged Mt Zion cheese whose little bits of crystallized crunch that like with this Wit, offered some surprise pockets of flavor in what you assumed was going to be mildness.
Solera Brewery: The Fez (sour farmhouse blend), paired with Central Coast Creamery Goat Gouda, goat, California, was my favorite pairing of beer and cheese with the slightly dry crumbly Gouda being brought to life with the tartness of the Fez, while the Gouda tamed the sour a bit. I love this beer by itself, but kept taking little nibbles of the cheese and then washing it down with the beer and being amazed at how the two came together into something new.
Double Mountain Brewery: Pink Peppercorn Saison, paired with Ancient Heritage Hannah, raw sheep and cow, Oregon. I love both of these, and could easily just drink that Pink Peppercorn Saison with its long tail of slight pepperyness tickling my tongue by itself all summer long. I am a fan of Ancient Heritage Dairy and the toasty nutty flavors of the Hannah, but I was not picking up how they were working together, just that they were both really good individually and together they were still good, just not adding up to anything new that I could perceive. I was still quite happy to have found something from Double Mountain I like, as their very hop-forward styles in their beers and my personal preference of not loving IPAs and bitterness have usually meant their beers and I have not gotten along (although F loves them and typically gets passed the beer to further enjoy after I only get through 20% of it).
Upright Brewing: Vienna Lager, paired with Vintage Cheese Company Mountina, raw cow, Montana. I was surprised at how much I liked this Lager style beer, it had more flavor and malt and toast characteristics than I originally judged from the name and thinking about the lagers of Sam Adams and Asia. The Mountina cheese that I thought had a nice butteryness and grassiness while being reminiscent of an Emmentaler cheese in its slight sweetness, bringing out a little bit more of the also slight sweetness in the Vienna Lager.
The Commons Brewery: CCB ESB, paired with Neal’s Yard Dairy Montgomery’s Cheddar, raw cow, U.K. Usually I find a cheddar is pretty strong in profile to have with a beer by itself (though SO mysteriously heh if it’s on a cheeseburger, game on!). And, I don’t often like ESB because the bitterness can be more pronounced sometimes and it depends when the balance of the malts kick in (despite the name, the Extra Special Bitter is supposed to be more balanced, not just more bitter). But I was surprised that I really liked The Commons CCB ESB in that it had some fruitiness to it that reminded me of how balanced crafted classic cocktails use bitters but add a kick- this ESB had a unique flavor profile, and it paired well with the cheddar providing more emphasis on the fruitiness and maltiness that seemed to not need a cheeseburger to bring out some savoryness. I was really impressed.
Widmer Brothers: Alt, paired with Willamette Valley Cheese Company, Boerenkaas, raw cow, Oregon. The Altbier, as you would expect, was light and smooth, with some hoppiness to it. The buttery softness of the Borenkaas tried to counter this hop but given my preference of not liking a lot of hop, I had to help this one along with some Chop charcuterie. I think I had 3 helpings of the Chop bourbon chicken liver mousse on little toasts. I have no problem eating that whole wrapped pate they still at the Portland Farmers Market just by myself.
Block 15 Brewing: Visage de Palm, Biere de Garde, paired with four-month Manchego, raw sheep, Spain. The sweet funkiness of the Visage de Palm and the pairing with nutty tangy Manchego made sense, but was even better with more Chop salami thrown into the mix. I often lean towards their pates but this time I also had the opportunity to sample all their salamis and am in love.
Breakside / Gigantic Brewery: Portland Beer Week India Wild Ale, paired with Quadrello di Buffala, water buffalo, Italy. I was getting tired. You can see from my punchcard this is my 9th beer, and the hop was enjoyed by others but not me particularly. The Quadrello di Buffala was the most pungent cheese among all the pairings, and the fact it had this bit of barnyard seemed to go well with the beer’s wild hoppiness for a very earthy experience
Oakshire Brewing: Auslaufen Rauchbier (cherry wood smoked ale), paired with Rogue Smokey Blue, raw cow, Oregon. The Rauchbier had a very light smoke, and the smoke from the Rogue blue cheese with its creamy saltiness echoed that smoke
10 Barrel Brewing: Herbes des Provence Baltic Porter, paired with Black Sheep Creamery Mopsey’s Best, raw sheep, Washington. We chose to start out with this beer and hey, I like Porters and the fact that it had this herbiness in the tasty cheese was a unique start. Together, the pairing complemented it like the cheese was the “topping” or “steak crust” if you will to a substantial flavorful entree of that porter. I had never heard of this beer so felt special that I was able to be the first to try it at this event as F became the first to check in after he entered it onto Untappd database.

I enjoyed the Portland Beer and Cheese Fest, just like last year. It was never so crowded that there were more than a few people in front of me, and most of the time I could just walk up and ask for my taster and sample. The Punchcards helped suggest an order as well as provide information about the beer and cheese that would be in the pairing. Similar to last year it was still hard to balance the glass of beer while eating the cheese while standing, but understand it takes up space to have barrels or cocktail tables that could otherwise be occupied by people standing.

I still think it is one of my favorite beer events all year, and particularly it brings out a generally sophisticated beer drinking crowd that wants to think and savor what they are having rather and how everything tastes than just taste a lot of beer (no WOOoooos during the entire event!). I saw several brewers and Steve mingling and checking in to ensure everyone has enough for the pairings and everything is running smoothly as well as answer questions. I hope this event will three-peat next year!

KPTV – FOX 12

Filed Under: Beer Review, Cheese, Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: 10 Barrel Brewing, beer and cheese pairing, Block 15, Breakside Brewery, cheese bar, Chop butchery, Chop charcuterie, Commons Brewery, double mountain, Oakshire Brewery, Pfriem, Portland Beer and Cheese Festival, Solera, Steve Jones, upright brewing, Widmer Brothers

Bailey’s Taproom 5th Anniversary Gloriousness 2007-2012

August 8, 2012 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

Besides the fact that this Bailey’s Taproom 5th Anniversary celebration of an After Party included advanced ticketing only and limited to 100 people, and a 20 oz 5th anniversary snifter glass for your beer pours at the event and to take home, as well as open taps for all 5 hours and 5 beers not available on Saturday and (wait there’s more!), there was also a glorious cornucopia of complimentary charcuterie from Olympic Provisions and artisan cheese from Cheese Bar, curated by Steve Jones, winner of the national 2011 Cheesemonger Invitational, there he was also behind the counter, diligently keeping the counter full of snackitys.

The Olympic Provisions contribution included their mortadella, pork and pistachio terrine, and the dry cured salami styles of Saucisson d’Alsace (one of my favorites sausages they produce because of the interesting tingle it has from the cinnamon and nutmeg), Saucisson Sec, and touch of spicy Sopressata (from chili flakes) and Chorizo Rioja (from paprika).

All of these went well with any of the amazing barrel aged beers during the event- I don’t know if you can ever mismatch any of these with anything, all of them are so tasty. The only item which was a little harder to eat was the sliced mortadella because of its size, though I understand it would have taken a lot of extra prep to slice them into baguette sized (and maybe top them with a toothpick and cornichon)- usually those slices are perfect sized for awesome sandwiches, not snacking on.

Meanwhile, Steve brought

fresh Samish Bay Ladysmith (perfect for the tasty Upright Bailey’s Fifth Anniversary Six with cherry, currant, and sweet vermouth in Pinot barrel and the Commons Cascadian Table Beer Amber with Brett Lambicus in Gin barrel), this was the mildest cheese and probably was the reason this was the first to run out
the slightly funkier Mon Sire Raclette (I prefer it warmed and melted which softens the pungency while bringing out more flavor and cream, so paired these with sours and hoppier beers),
the boldly sharp Hooks 5 year cheddar (which found its match in the Block 15 Imagine and other >10% beers such as the Stone 2008 Imperial Russian Stout in Bourbon barrel and the Uinta Labyrinth Imperial Black Ale in Rye Whiskey barrel),
and Rogue Smokey Blue (also good with any strongly alcoholed beer) that had a smokey salty flavor.

Beer at Bailey's Taproom- 2007-2012 5th Anniversary Gloriousness
Steve Jones of Cheese Bar offering cheeses and charcuterie at Bailey's Taproom- 2007-2012 5th Anniversary Gloriousness