It’s an easy mistake to make for a beer-centric geek like me; I was introduced to Rogue Chocolate-Stout Cheddar and immediately assumed that Rogue brewing was in the cheese business.  Actually, Rogue Creamery, like the brewery, is located in Oregon but is not affiliated with the famed brewery except for the fact that they have created a cheese that blends Rogue Chocolate Stout with their buttery cheddar.

“The Wine Shop” at Capitol Market sells a wide range of cheese and beer  along with wine (once again my beer–centric subconscious  comes into play here because my friends constantly remind me that I often refer to the place as the “Beer and Cheese Shop.”)  The “Wine Shop” folks told me about the Rogue cheese and were kind enough to give me a chunk of it to “evaluate.” When I take on such a mission, I get serious and will complete it on time with 007 precision, especially when beer and cheese are involved.

The most obvious thing to do would be to pair this cheese with Rogue’s Chocolate Stout, right? Well, even 007 wouldn’t be able to scare up a bottle of the stuff in this town. I haven’t seen Rogue’s Chocolate Stout for months (reader tips and sightings are welcome). I had to resort to ‘Plan B.’ We needed a nice chocolatey stout that tended slightly towards sweet and not “Irish Dry.” Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout seemed to fit the bill. Now, I needed an audience of beer and cheese lovers (which didn’t take long for me to find). My friend Jeff provided the stout and I dished out a small sampling of the Rogue Chocolate Stout Cheddar cheese to at least six people.  The cheese was well rested and was very near room temperature as to fully allow the flavor to shine.  The cheese is creamy-white with nary a hint of brown hue from the blended-in stout; only a noticeable but appetizing marbling effect.

The Evil Brewer Speaks (sarcastically): “Welcome to my brewery, Mister Bond, I am so glad you found time to drop in. It would only be polite for me to host you on a VIP tour, where I will reveal to you all of my evil plans before you are isomerized. I see you brought guests… oh and cheese! In that case, the tour can wait”

Okay, enough with the Bond stuff, let’s talk about Umami. No, that’s not the name of the latest Bond-Girl, it’s the Japanese word used to describe “deliciousness” (which is now considered the fifth aspect of flavor that can be perceived by the human palate). This cheese really fires up the Umami receptors with its creamy texture -  the Oatmeal Stout will certainly work on the others. This is one of the most buttery cheddars I have tasted. The infused beer simply adds some balance in the way of a nutty and chocolate finish. The Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout pairs perfectly with this cheese, especially on the finish. All I can say “You have got to try this pairing.” Go out right now and buy some! (Don’t forget the beer.)

I owe a big thanks to the folks at the “Beer & Cheese Shop”! 

This entry was posted on Friday, November 28th, 2008 at 9:22 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.