This week I’m pairing saison and farmhouse beers from the U.S. and from Belgium with Alpine-style cheeses from the U.S. and France. You may have noticed a pattern here—yes, saison is one of my three favorite beer styles, and Alpine cheeses might be among my favorite types of cheese. This seemed like a good way to look at a bunch of possibilities and keep the blog active. 

The first pairing features an American made Gruyere from Roth Kase, Monroe, Wis. A division of Swiss Emmi, Roth Kase is a family-operated business that has been making specialty cheese since 1991. Grand Cru Surchoix Gruyere is one of the most acclaimed cheeses in Roth Kase’s portfolio. It is among three Roth Gruyere cheeses produced in wheels of about 18 lbs. The young wheels are selected for extended aging periods, the longest being the 9 to 12 months that goes into the Surchoix.  The wheels are washed throughout their affinage.  Once done by hand, the smearing is now executed by a robotic system, that was installed during a major expansion a few years back.

Sofie is a farmhouse ale (synonymous with saison) interpretation introduced by Goose Island Brewing Co. of Chicago in the spring of 2009. It is companion to Matilda and Pere Jacque in Goose’s regular year-round Belgian-style series. These beers are joined seasonally in some markets by other Belgain-esques like Fleur, Juliet and Lolita. I’m completely enamored with Sofie. It’s a delicious beer—complex, but inviting and refreshing—and to me it tastes like a real saison. Maybe it’s just me, but when a beer is called a farmhouse ale, or a saison I want it to taste like one, but all too often, American versions taste more like a Belgian triple or a German hefeweizen. I don’t mind loose interpretations, but when the beer lists more toward another classic style, I don’t think you should call it a farmhouse ale. Goose calls this a farmhouse ale, and from what I know of Goose Island, they are  shooting for a  somewhat figurative interpretation. It’s made with Pilsner malt and wheat, hopped lightly with Amarillo, and a portion of it is aged in barrels with orange peels before blending. It comes in at 6.5% ABV (a medium level of alcohol) and 25 IBUs (a restrained, but perceptible bitterness). My wife joined me on a fine Chicago afternoon last week as we put the pairing of these two fine products to the test.

The cheese: Bought a small wedge of the Surchoix from Marion Street Cheese Market in the morning. The paste was pale yellow, and darker toward the rind, which was a mottled, brown and red color and shiny. There was some flaking and some spotting in paste—small dark spots and some tiny white spots, the latter probably having to do with the tyrosine crystals. On the nose the cheese was pleasant and fairly mild with caramel and fruit aromas mixed with mushroom and basement. The texture on the tounge was fairly heavy, but also crumbly and it quickly melted to a milky consistency that lingered, and the crystals were fairly evident, providing a nice added texture. Flavors included caramelized milk, a hint of pineapple, a trace of nuts, and noticeable mushroom, especially at the rind. The rind was tough and chewy enough that I only bit into it, but didn’t eat it. I noticed that is was coated with something stretchy that peeled right off. I think that is a food-grade rind coating, which I know Roth Kase uses on some of its other hard and semi-hard cheeses.  

The beer: I bought a 4-pack of 12 oz bottles from the Binny’s at the end of my block.  The Belgian series have beers have distinctive simple labels featuring the name of the beer in a scipt font. Yes, they look like wine labels, but they have grown on me as have the beers. The Sofie poured a bright golden color, slightly hazy with a fluffy white head. The aroma was herbal and hop-spicy and sweet all at the same time. Ann found lemony citrus and clove aromas. She also commented on the mouthfeel, a bit soft and smooth, but still refreshing. I found the body to be creamy too, enough so that the beer gives the impression of a hybrid of a wit and saison. Again that’s OK with me because when I close my eyes it doesn’t just taste like wit, but rather like a sasion that’s been hanging around with a wit.  I got vanilla, citrus and some bitterness in the flavor. Because I  photographed the grouping in the later afternoon sun, my glass might have gotten slightly skunked, but not enough to put me off. I love Sasion DuPont, so I’m used to a bit of skunking afterall.

The pairing: The firm paste gave off toffee flavors as I tasted the cheese again.  These dissolved nicely in the beer and played nicely with the Sofie’s vanilla and citrus flavors. The cheese broke down in the carbonation and the finish was a pleasant mingling of caramel, citrus and vanilla. The mushroom was gone.  For accoutrement, we had nothing but fresh raspberries. They layered with the beer flavors delightfully. Then, with the cheese and beer it was a nice savory/sweet explosion.

This was a fine pairing and I will give it a 4 on a scale of 5.