Red Brick Brewery is another brewery that takes their beer pairings seriously.  They list several pairing suggestions with each beer just to make things easy for you or a beer blogger who hasn't tried any of their beers.  

I am really excited about this pairing because it goes beyond the traditional and non-traditional pairings by pairing the Smoked Vanilla Gorilla with smores.

This beer will add the right amount of smoke to a smores created inside in the absence of a campfire. The chocolate notes in the porter will resonate with the chocolate in the smores and marshmallows will keep the roasty flavors from becoming too much.  Also, the vanilla part of this gorilla brings new life to the smores. 

I used a slightly easier (IMHO) recipe than the original below which was published in the 2005 All About Beer Holiday Fare Cookbook 

All the ingredients came from Trader Joe's except the biscuits but I am guessing you can find them there as well.  I used 1 lb Italian sausage and mixed it with TJ's Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic. I used the tomato paste but the red pepper spread adds wonderful flavor to the dish.  Use the whole jar!

You can make this vegetarian very easily by using your favorite soy based meat substitute.  I used and really like the Gimme Lean "pork" soysage product. Use it the same way as the real sausage. 

Yield: 12 appetizer cups

1 pound fresh Polish sausage (I used Italian)
1 6-0z can roasted garlic tomato paste
1 Jar of Trader Joe's Red Pepper Spread 
OR
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried marjoram, crumbled
1/3 cup red pepper, minced
And
2/3 cup Porter beer
1 12-0z package biscuit dough
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated


Brown the sausage (remove casings if necessary) in a large skillet over medium heat until fully cooked.  Chop meat into crumbles as it cooks.  Pour off excess grease and drain crumbled meat on a paper-lined baking pan.

In a medium Dutch over, (I just used an oversized sauce pan) combine tomato paste, pepper, coriander, marjoram and porter. Stir and cook over medium low heat, then add drained meat.  Add more porter if sauce seems to thick. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Open package of biscuit dough and carefully unroll as a single sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll dough evenly without breaking perforations and create a single large sheet of dough about 1/6-inch thick.  Use a large round biscuit cutter to cut 12 circles of dough, each 4 inches in diameter.

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.  Fit sircles of dough into muffin cups to make shells.  Fill cups evenly with sausage mixture.  Bake 15 minutes, or until cups are golden brown.  Remove from oven and top evenly with cheese and bell pepper. Serve warm.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of "researching" my newest pairing project ... Beer and Cheese!  Kelly Briglio and Tina Thayer, owners of Paradise Pantry, took time to sit down with me and explain a little bit about cheese but more importantly they indulged me for two hours while we tasted eleven different cheeses and seven different beers. This series will detail each of those cheeses and the beers that brought a little extra life to them.

At the beginning of each post I will briefly describe the highlighted cheese. Below the cheese description you will find the beer pairing suggestions. Most of the cheeses will have at least two detailed beer pairing suggestions and some will have three! The beer suggestions will include detailed descriptions of each pairing as well as detailed descriptions of the beer.

If you live in or near Ventura, CA be sure to stop in at Paradise Pantry and say hello and buy some cheese especially if these pairings inspired you to try something new be sure to let Kelly and Tina know you read about them here!  

This is a rich, creamy and salty cheese with a great funky tasting rind.  Why does the rind taste so good?  Because it was washed with a lambic-style beer that was brewed with the farm's very own wild yeast! 

The sample I tasted was quite salty and had a pronounced meaty flavor (think bacon). The velvety texture of the cheese coats the inside of your mouth with a lingering aftertaste of salt and bacon. Make sure you take a bite of the rind as that will help balance the truly decadent nature of this cheese.

Paired with: Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Ouroboros Old Bar Brown Ale, Redhook Longhammer IPA, 

Other Beer Pairing suggestions: Barleywine (young), Biere de Garde, Doppelbock, Imperial Stouts, Wee Heavy, 
My cheese pairing categories: buttery, earthy, pungent

American IPA

Pairing Description: You can use any American style IPA and still get a great pairing.  The Redhook Longhammer IPA is a milder American style IPA with pleasant piney/citrus aromas and citrus hop flavors.  The refreshing bitterness balances the cheese's decadent flavors and funky rind.  The pronounced hop flavor and bitterness help cleanse the palate.

Other Examples:  Two Hearted Ale, 60 Minute IPA, Hop Devil Ale, Raser 5, Titan, Blind Pig
Serving Temp: 40°- 45°
Glassware: Pint Glass, Mug

Aroma: Think citrus (grapefruit), resinous pine, or even tropical fruit. There may be a slight sweetness present from the malt but the hop aromas will most likely cover up those aromas.
Appearance: Colors will vary from medium gold to a reddish copper but they will all be clear unless they have been dry hopped and then there may be a slight haze.  Because the malt used has very little dark color the head will be white to off white and should persist.
Flavor: IPA’s are all about the hops (bitterness, flavor and aroma) and so there will be medium to high amount of hop flavor and bitterness that will reflect the American hop citrus qualities (citrusy, floral, resinous, pine).  Malt flavor will be low to showcase all the hop characteristics.
Mouthfeel: You can expect a medium body with a pleasing mouth puckering bitterness (think grapefruit) that helps to dry the beer out and creates a thirst quenching, refreshing beer.

Food Pairings: Cheese: Pepper Jack. Meat: Fish, smoked salmon. Cuisine: American, Mexican.

HopHeadSaid:  I love IPA’s! They are refreshing when it is hot out and their warming alcohol keeps you warm when it is cold.  These beers pair well with many foods especially savory or sweet foods.  The bitterness and alcohol help cleanse the palate of savory foods like cheeses or fried foods and the bitterness also helps keep the sweet foods in check.  But if you want to spice things up a bit drink an IPA with some spicy salsa.  The bitterness momentarily emphasizes the spice but the alcohol helps to refresh the palate just like a tortilla chip.

Robust Porter

Pairing Description: This pairing is unique in that the cheese makes the beer taste sweeter.  The cheese's pronounced salty bacon flavors accentuate the slightly sweet malt flavors and hide nearly all of the beer's roasty flavors. This is a treat for people who prefer sweeter beers.

If you can't find this beer I suggest you try one or more of these porters instead:  Anchor Porter, Sierra Nevada Porter or Great Divide's Saint Bridget’s Porter.

Serving Temp: 50°- 55°
Glassware: Pint Glass, Mug

Aroma: Roasty aroma should be noticeable may be pronounced with coffee and/or chocolate undertones.
Appearance: Pours a dark brown with garnet highlights with a fluffy tan head.
Flavor: Noticeable roasty malt flavors of strong coffee, dark chocolate or slightly burnt toast. 
Mouthfeel: Medium-full body that may finish drier because of roasty characters. Warming alcohol feeling may be present.

Food Pairings: Cuisine: barbecue, Mexican.  Cheese: earthy. Dessert: chocolate. Meat: beef, smoked meat, grilled meat.

HopHeadSaid: Robust porters are really easy to pair with food.  Their roasty notes resonate with grilled foods and their flavor intensities ensure they will hold their own in most pairings. Robust porters also pair well with many desserts.  Their roasty flavors help balance sweeter desserts while their dark chocolate/coffee flavors resonate well with chocolate desserts.

I just found this video, loved it, and I thought would share it with you.  It showcases a road trip to see all the Deschutes Brewery label landmarks.  Warning: there is a brief, very brief, female nipple shot in this video. 

American Brown Ale
Pairing Description: Old Bar Brown Ale is one of the more assertive brown ales I have tried and that is what makes this such a great pairing beer for Winnemere. The funky rind combines with the chocolaty malt to create a incredible flavor that has to be experienced. Imagine a combination of tart sweet fruit (hops and esters) dark chocolate (beer malt) all being enjoyed in some old world horse barn. And all of that is happening in your mouth! Old Bar Brown Ale holds its own in this incredible pairing and ultimately out shines the cheese while it cleanses your palate.

If you cant'f find this particular beer, I suggest you start with Indian Brown Ale from Dogfish Head, Bender from Surly Brewing Co or Moose Drool Brown Ale from Big Sky Brewing Co.

Serving Temp:40°- 45°
Glassware:Pint Glass, Mug

Aroma: Hints of sweet chocolate, caramel with toasted nuts are typical of this style.  Some American browns have pronounced hop aromas especially if they are dry hopped.
Appearance: Pours clear brown to dark brown with a light tan head.
Flavor:  Pronounced sweet malty flavors reminiscent of caramel and chocolate are balanced by elevated hop flavors and bitterness.
Mouthfeel:  Medium-full body that finish fairly dry due to the hops and elevated carbonation levels.

Food Pairings:Cuisine: Barbecue. Cheese: Earthy, Nutty. Meat: beef. Dessert: Chocolate.

HopHeadSaid:  I prefer American brown ales over English brown ales because of the elevated hop profiles. The hop profiles help balance the toasted caramely/chocolate sweetness keeping the beer refreshing without limiting the beer’s pairing ability. The assertive hop intensity means the malt flavors have to be increased making it a great pairing beer for grilled foods, assertive cheeses and chocolate desserts.

*Photo credits: Photos linked to their source.
Topics: Food Pairing, Beer Pairing, Cheese Pairing, Beer and Food, Beer and Cheese