Beer/Cheese - June and July

Corsendonk is a classic European beer and one certainly worth trying if you've never had it. It doesn't exhibit the traditional Belgian yeast profile that comes to mind when you think of trappist ales, but it has a wealth of flavor that you can't find in another famous brown ale of Europe - Newcastle. Corsendonk starts off with a nutty aroma that has a background of cocoa and roasted malts. The flavor is somewhat unsurprising, with healthy doses of cocoa, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, and clove. A full flavored and quintessential Belgian dubbel and a required experience for any beer geek.

The Old Amsterdam borders somewhere between a sharp cheddar and a well aged gouda, with its official style being the latter. If I didn't know better, I would have assumed it was something closer to cheddar, with a light tartness exhibited by the sharpness of the cheese. The first thing that came to mind when tasting it was the idea of this making an excellent macaroni and cheese, and I can now confirm that my assumptions were correct. July's distribution was close to a pound, so it's likely you'll have some left to experiment with. The sweetness of both the cheese and the beer match each other wonderfully, while the effervescence and spices of the beer help cut the sharpness of the cheese and exhibit more creaminess.

At first glance, I thought "Hey look! Cheddar!" But don't let looks deceive you. This gouda does not have the sharpness of cheddar. It cut smoothly and finished slightly dry and it made me think of walnuts. And the walnut flavors work well with the dark fruit flavors of the dubbel.

You can't go wrong with cheese that's been in space. That's my motto anyway. Old Amsterdam is an aged Gouda from the Netherlands. This Dutch cheese is easily sliced and creamy in texture, especially close to the center. Working your way from the center out, the rind becomes firmer and the flavor is a bit sharper. I could easily see using this cheese in any cheese-based cooking dish. Grilled cheese, mac-and-cheese, straight from the wedge, whatever. It is good.

Corsendonk is a Belgian dubbel, mid-range abv (7.5%), typical Belgian loveliness. It has a malty backbone wrapped in some Belgian funkiness. It has some spicy notes along with the dark fruit and chocolate as mentioned on the label.  

The pairing is quite nice. Each have a sweetness that plays off the other, and the slight fizziness from the beer helps cut the creamy texture of the cheese. We hope you enjoy (or perhaps enjoyed as this is out a bit late) and we look forward to the next one (Tronchon, anyone?)

Thanks again to Goose for another month of tasty treats!

July's cheese - Tronchon