Cheese + Beer

Tonight’s Cheese 101 was definitely meant for cheese lovers!

The class was taught by cheese enthusiast/expert and three-time award-winning Whole Foods specialty team leader Mike Clark of the River Street location in Cambridge. The class included a plethora of information. I learned so much more about cheese than I ever expected!

Background:

In the Store and at the Table:

We tasted 9 (!!!) different cheeses, including some of Mike’s favorites– from Triple creme goat brie, Rogue River blue, Brie de Meaux, Epoisse, and many more. It was truly the most amazing selection of cheeses ever!

Along with our cheese samples, we had some crackers. I only ate a few– I was much more focused on the cheese!

I liked all of the cheeses, but my favorites were the Rogue River blue, Epoisse, and Robusto.

The Rogue River blue is a really special cheese. It’s wrapped in grapes leaves, soaked in pear brandy, and it has a nice, strong blue cheese flavor. It was heavenly!

The Robusto is a Gouda cheese made in Holland, exclusively for Whole Foods. Pretty cool, right? It was a semi-hard cheese with a sweet, caramel-y flavor.

The Epoisse is made in Vermont on a “hippie commune,” called Cobb Hill. Cobb Hill is a community of people “living in ways that are materially sufficient, socially and ecologically responsible, and satisfying to the soul.” Very cool!

This cheese was easily my favorite of the night– earthy, sort of grassy, and full-bodied. Delish!

Of course, I needed to snap a photo with the cheese guy himself! (Plus, my friend, Jen, really wanted to meet him! )

After Cheese 101, Jen and I met Mal at The Junction for a drink. There, I ordered a Rogue Mocha Porter. I tried this brew in San Francisco at the Foodbuzz Festival Tasting Pavilion and loved it, so I was excited to see it on the menu tonight.

Mal ordered an Arrogant Bastard Ale!

Good times at The Junction!

I’m exhausted. Bed time!