Posts Tagged ‘cheese’
Written by Abram on 10 March 2010
Van Havig
I thought I was excited to have Cheese Bar open 11 blocks from my house. I went there this afternoon, for the second day in a row, only to find my excitement was surpassed by that of Van Havig, brewmaster for Rock Bottom Portland. He had composed an Ode to Cheese Bar, which he sang, with great excitement and enthusiasm.
To the tune of the Beatles “Yesterday” here is Havig’s “Ode to Cheese Bar”
Yesterday, Steve opened up not far away
A little cheese and beer chalet
Oh I’ll eat cheese, most everyday
Suddenly my neighborhood’s better than it used to be
Because Steve opened up eleven blocks from me
Oh how great it is to be me
Cave-aged Gruyere, Stilton, Bayhawk and Mahon
Garroxta, Maytag Blue, all of them you can own, own, own, own
It’s not just cheese, but with beer that makes two ways to please.
There’s Pilsner, stout, and ESBs
You can have it all when you come to Steve’s
Thank you Steve for thinking of us Eastside plebes
And fixie-riding hipster dweebs
We hope you make a lot of “cheese”
If that song isn’t enough to make you want to visit, they have a record player and when we were there this evening were playing the Modern World by the Jam. The cheese and meat selections are fantastic. The current cheese plate is UK based. (Jones worked for British cheesemongers Neal’s Yard, and is intimately familiar with English cheeses).On the plate are generous helpings of Wensleydale, Lincolnshire Poacher, and Colston Basset Stilton, which is quite possibly the best, richest Stilton I’ve ever tasted. Just like European beers, cheeses from over the water don’t always arrive in the finest condition, and when you get fresh versions, they are a real treat.
In keeping with Steve’s emphasis on low alcohol beers, I ordered a Hazed and Infused Pale Ale 4.85% abv from Colorado’s Boulder Brewing. I then had a Watershed IPA 7.1% abv from Eugene’s Oakshire Brewing and tried pairing the two beers with the three cheeses. The Hazed and Infused has a grassy hop character, which pairs well with the mild Wensleydale, the creamy rich Stilton kicks its ass though, and Watershed is a better match for that cheese. Watershed is a little too much for the Wensleydale, but works well with the cheddarlike notes of the Lincolnshire Poacher. Verdict: though the Hazed and Infused worked alright, sometimes a big massive hoppy NW IPA is the right match for your food. And thankfully I live 11 blocks away.
Tags: beer and food, cheese, Cheese Bar, Colorado, Montavilla, Oakshire, PDX, Rock Bottom, Van Havig
Posted in At the Pub | Comments Off
Written by Abram on 09 March 2010
Today is a very exciting day in my neighborhood. Cheese Bar opens with beer. Steve Jones the fromagier who brought Steve’s Cheese to NW Portland has moved to SE 61st and Belmont Street to open Cheese Bar. The business, located in a former karate studio features the same exceptional selection of artisan cheeses from Europe and North America, and a light menu, 6 taps, 50 bottles of beer, and 30 wines. The sleek modern feel of the place is softened by the tongue and groove Doug fir bartop (made of 3 inch thick cardecking which Jones salvaged himself and hoarded in his garage until he found a space to open his pub), and sustainably harvested Oregon White Oak flooring.
Jones plans to feature beers that pair well with food, and will focus on some overlooked styles such as brown ales. He and his staff are passionate about beer as well as cheese, and will start a list of their favorite pairings, to be ready with a recommendation. 
Tags: beer and food, cheese, Montavilla, PDX
Posted in At the Pub | Comments Off
Written by Abram on 09 March 2010
Every February I visit Timmy Brown, Brewmaster at Mission Spring’s brewpub in Mission, BC with a chef, and we do a beer dinner at his house. This year the chef was my friend Izaak Butler, (formerly of Green Dragon and Roots), and we did a 5 course pairing dinner which was fantastic. Chef Izaak perused the Granville Island Marketplace for produce and meat, while we delivered Northwest Brewing News in an Olympics-besieged Vancouver. With some road closures already in effect navigating the city was mental, and we got out as quickly as we could, with a quick stop for a sanity-restoring pint at the Alibi Room. The Alibi’s 18 taps are all BC craft beers, with the exception of one Rogue handle. The three handpumps serve a rotating selection of local casks. Owner Nigel, who hails from Middlesboro, England, has revolutionized the BC beer scene in the last two years. The food at the Alibi is excellent too, and tends toward the rich and filling.
Chef Izaak Butler
Chef Izaak and I visited Brewery Creek beer shop on Main to get some of the beers for the dinner, and brought some of the others from Oregon. Sometimes when envisioning how the flavors of each food and beer will interact you get it right, other times you miss the mark, and sometimes its pure magic. (At 2009’s beer dinner at Timmy’s chef Jesika Starr Rowley and I paired Central City’s Springboard Lager with scallops wrapped in bacon and pan seared. It was one of the best flavor combinations ever). Each course in this year’s meal and its beer pairing is listed, and the pairing is rated and explained.
NAILED=wonderful perfect, no better flavor match, HIT=Worked as envisioned, DINGED=OK but it wasn’t quite as expected. MISSED=Did not work, train wreck in the mouth.
Course 1
The Farmhouse cheddar, from Agassiz, BC with kiwi salsa and locally made Que Pasa organic blue chips. BEER: Widmer Drifter Pale Ale 5.7% abv, 32 IBUs. DINGED The tropical fruit flavors of the Nelson Sauvin hops in the Drifter worked well with the fruitiness of the kiwi and sweetness of the yellow bell pepper in the salsa. I had expected this interplay to be more pronounced than it was. The mild cheddar flavors paired well with the beer as well.
Course 2
A salad of cauliflower, fennel, radicchio, Niciose olives, topped with a sardine with Mission Springs IPA dressing. BEER: Mission Springs IPA, 5.6% abv 45 IBUs NAILED Mission Springs IPA is brewed with NZ Saaz and NZ Hallertauer, giving it a more herbal flavor than those brewed with Northwest hops. The herbal flavors compliment the bitterness of the radicchio Timmy Brown began brewing it with New Zealand hops during the hop crisis, and has kept using them.
This is a course I was skeptical about when Izaak described it to me as we were driving into Vancouver. It really worked though.
“The strong presence of bitter flavors cuts the oiliness of the fish with olive oil,” says Chef Izaak.
Our host Tim Brown pours the Amity Pinot Noir
Course 3: Intermission
Brioche bun with wild boar bacon, poached egg with truffle oil, and Normandy sea salt. BEER: (wine for intermission) Amity Vineyards 2005 winemakers reserve Pinot Noir NAILED. This course says Chef Izaak was the “most adult and upscale breakfast sandwich I could think of.”
It’s truly fantastic, rich and sweet with salty notes from the bacon and sea salt, and paired well with the dark cherry, salal and blueberry flavors of the organic Pinot Noir.
Course 4
Spicy beef chili BEER: Hopworks Secession 6.5% abv 70 IBUs HIT the roast and hops of Hopworks Cascadian Dark Ale married well with the spicy smoke of the chipotle-based chili. The beef roast was stewed with the peppers until it naturally fell apart, and was flaky soft and sweet.
Course 5: Dessert
Medjool dates stuffed with Manchego cheese wrapped in French prosciutto with mint leaves BEER: Traquair House Ale 7.2% DINGED: I had high hopes for this course, but the flavors did not work together as well as they had in my mind the mint helped cut the rich sweetness of the dates, but paired with a sweet malty Scotch ale it could have used more salt as a counterpoint.
Overall the dinner was a huge success with its focus on hearty rich foods paired with big beers leaving us sated and happy.
Tags: Alibi Room, beer and food, Brewery Creek, Cascadian Dark Ale, CDA, cheese, Hopworks, Mission Springs, Vancouver BC, Widmer, wine
Posted in On the Road | Comments Off
