ristol-based Two Belly is a cheese and beer shop that celebrates two of the most enjoyable gastronomic and gustatory pleasures on earth. Here, founders Lara Issa and Dominic Pulsford present a pick of some of the best cheese and beer matches.
Suki (sour saison with sumac) with Gubeen (pasteurised cow’s milk)
With its spiced sour notes and a full-bodied malty balance Yonder Brewing’s Suki is the perfect match for Gubbeen, a washed rind cheese from Ireland, which has a creamy and nutty curd and funky mushroom rind. Here we find both cheese and beer working in unison to intensify the flavour profiles.
Benny Heavens (barley wine) with Coolea (pasteurised cow's milk)
The rich and boozy fruit notes of Moor's Benny Heavens and Coolea's sweet, nutty and butterscotch flavours seem like they were created for each other.
Russian Imperial (imperial stout) with Stichelton (raw cow's milk)
A big beer and a big cheese come together and shake the very foundations of the earth. The beer, with its bold coffee and liquorice flavours backed by a cacao bitterness, is rich and warm. The cheese is creamy, meaty, bold with fruit notes and a salty richness, and sometimes has a chocolatey rind. Together, these are a riotous pairing to finish any tasting session or dinner party.
Ideal World (IPA) with Lincolnshire Poacher (raw cow's milk)
A well balanced cheese and a well balanced beer with a journey to extoll. The cheese has pineapple fruit notes to start and an earthy, nutty finish with a dense waxy texture similar to an alpine cheese. The beer, similarly, has fresh tropical hop aromas and flavours up front, backed by piney, earthy notes.
Red Orange (amber ale) with Montgomery's Cheddar (raw cow's milk)
A bold amber ale, made with orange zest and rounded hop/malt characteristics, with herbal and citrus notes, Red Orange is a classic style and needs a bold pairing. Montgomery's Cheddar is a modern classic, with fragrant, herbal notes and an overriding rich nutty taste.
Sinodun Hill Goat's cheese (raw goat's milk)
Keller Pils is bready and crisp with a herbaceous hop finish. Sinodun Hill has a mousse-like curd with a fruity rich rind and the lightness of the beer matches well with the light texture of the cheese, its bready notes accentuating the fruitiness of the cheese with the crisp carbonation cutting through the richness.
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