There’s been quite a buzz in cheese circles about a recent release from Hook’s Cheese Co., Mineral Point, Wis. It’s Hook’s 15-year Cheddar. That’s right, when this puppy first went from milk to curd, Bill Clinton was still working in the Oval Office. Cheesemakers Tony and Julie Hook make more than 30 types of cheese, including an array of super-aged Cheddars that typically include 5- to 10-year old offerings and beyond.

These cheeses are shrink wrapped in plastic for aging, so they lose very little moisture, which is why they can be aged for so long. This is the same way that mass-market commercial cheeses are aged, but those rarely get more than 6 to 12 months aging, so they are way less interesting.  Other artisan cheesemakers use this process too, but Hooks does it as well as anyone, and it has the ribbons to prove it.

The 15-year was released in February, and it is the oldest Cheddar Hook’s has ever sold.  There was a very limited quantity in the market, and it was selling for nearly $50 a pound. I was able to acquire a small piece earlier this month and decided that it would make for a nice pairing for the blog.

These kinds of Cheddars go well with hoppy American IPAs.  The sour milk high notes are nicely complemented by the pine resin and citrus aromas of the beers.  The 15-year Cheddar is so bold in both its flavor and its story, that I decided it deserved a ménage à trois. I chose Modus Hoperandi from Ska Brewing Co., Durango, Co.,  and Three Floyds’ Alpha King to complete the cheese-beer sandwich. The Modus is causing a buzz of its own in the Chicago market because of its bright green vessel (craft beer’s new favorite package is the aluminum can), but also because it’s a distinctive IPA with a huge nose and a bitter backbone.  Alpha King is quite simply one of the best and most storied beers  in the country. It even has a national beer judging named after it. Floyds is located in Munster, Ind., just south of the Chicago city line, and if you’re a Chicago beer geek, odds are you’ve drank one with the dudes who brew it.

First the cheese: When I unwrapped the 15 it was damp, with a deep orange color and some whitening near the edges. It smelled funky–a stinky foot smell rather than barnyard. I cut it into fudgey spears. Bend one and it breaks clean. The taste is spectacular. Sour milk sharpness in the attack, with big fruity explosions. The texture is so dense, creamy and moist, and the flavor so concentrated it’s like eating parmigiano-flavored fudge. On top of that you get a mouthful of crunchy crystals–calcium lactate, I believe.  They are very pronounced in this cheese and reminded me of fig seeds. Really long finish.

The beers: Both poured with a similar rich copper color and an off-white head. The Modus had a nice one-two aroma of citrus and pine, a light-ish body and a clean, refreshing finish. The Alpha King’s nose was even more resinous, but with hints of tobacco and leather that carried over into the flavor.  The hop flavor in Alpha King is huge with grapefruit, earth and pine. But it’s balanced by plenty of malt, and again the impression of tobacco leaf. It has a bit more body than the Modus, and has a fairly long finish.

The pairings: The hops in both of these beers countered the sweet and sour of the cheese in a nice little tug of war. The Modus lifted the creaminess, the Alpha King washed over the funky flavor but let it come back. Yes, you do get crystals swimming in carbonated hops and malt. Nice pairings to be sure! I’d give them both a 3.5 out of 5.

There are 5+year Cheddars available from several cheesemakers in Wisconsin, Vermont and elsewhere, and beautiful hop bombs from coast to coast. Have fun!

BTW, Ska has Ska music on its website!