Suds and Curds: Beer and Cheese Pairing

This is a live tasting seminar held online via Zoom. The Instructor will be assisted by a remote 18 Reasons staffer who will facilitate conversation during class and ensure all students are attended to.

Registered students should take ~30 min before class begins to do the following: download and set up Zoom, test audio and video, gather ingredients per the list below. 18 Reasons staff will e-mail registrants one message containing a Zoom meeting link and any class materials; check your junk/spam/event folder in case you do not see the e-mail. Search for any email from 18 Reasons, looking for a subject line containing the full title of the class. We also strongly suggest eating a meal or heavy snack before tasting.

Though wine and cheese are heralded as the world's best duo, with a few guidelines, beer and cheese are actually easier to pair! Why? Carbonation, salt, hops, and butterfat are actually soul mates (awww). In this class, It's Not You, It's Brie author and cheesemaking teacher, Kirstin Jackson, will talk beer and cheese basics and guide you through a tasting of five of her readily available favorite combos. Bonus? Beer and cheese not only happen to be two of the most delicious things in the world together, they also happen to be pretty easy to consume in a manageable time after opening!  The cheese shopping list with lost easy-to-find options follows, and after you sign up for the class we'll email you the 4 beer-style suggestions.

THE CHEESE

1) Chèvre: any fresh goat cheese!
A few ideas: Laura Chenel, Redwood Hill, or Tomales Farmstead chèvre

2) Aged Sheep’s Milk Cheese from Spain, Italy, or the US.
A few ideas: Manchego, Pecorino Toscano/Filano/Crosta Nera/Marzonlini.
American options: Garden Variety aged sheep milk cheeses, Bellwether San Andreas

3) Triple Creme Cheese.
A few ideas: Mt Tam, Nancy’s Camembert, Kunik, Brillat Savarin, Pierre Robert, Crémeux de Citeaux

4) Alpine-Style Cheese.
A few ideas: Comté, Gruyere-Emmi, Challerhocker, Tarentaise, Alpha Toman Roth Grand Cru 

5) Blue Chees – Slightly sweet.
A few ideas: Stichelton, Colston-Basset Stilton, Cashel Blue, Chiraboga Blue, Baley Hazen Blue, Grazin Girl, Bay Blue

How much should you buy? It depends on how hungry you’ll be! I generally plan on 1-2 ounces of each cheese per person. 

^{Photo by Rebecca Orlov | Orlov Design Co}