Bloomin’ Idiot is a blue cheese from Hook’s Creamery in Wisconsin that is made with  bloomy rind. A bloomy rind is traditional to brie and camembert cheeses, the rind is light, almost fluffy, and white. This type of rind is achieved by coating the cheese with penicillium candidum.

I was quite surprised when I cut open this beauty and the inside was a pearly white! The only blue thing about it was the rind. The flavor of the paste is reminiscent of a white creamy cheddar with the slightest hint of barnyard funk. As the Hook’s recommend, you need to cut a piece of the rind with the paste, and that is how you get your blue fix!

The blue flavors are grassy and hay like, with a bit of a bite. Add a drizzle of wildflower honey and you’ve got some pretty decadent flavors happening in your mouth!

Pair with a Belgian Pale Ale, IPA, or a Farmhouse Cider

La Douze was originally brewed as BFM’s 12th Anniversary Ale. It is a Golden Ale brewed with Fleur de sel, “flower of salt.” Fleur de sel is a hand harvested sea salt that is collected off the coast of Brittany, France. The marsh land allows for salt fields to be installed, shallow pans throughout the grass. The water rushes into the pans and the day’s sun evaporates the water, leaving the pure salt crystals.

The flavor of this beer is definitely “well seasoned.” The mineral flavor of the salt is present, but not overwhelming. It is also slightly bitter with hints of coriander and the Amarillo hop coming through.

Pair this beer with 5 Spoke Tumbleweed, a sharp Cantal-style cheese from New York!

Malts used: Pale Malt , Pilsner malt
Hops used: Cascade, Amarillo, Saphir

Alc/vol: 6.5 

Shady Goat Truffles on sale now at The Birch!

Hop Inspired Grilled Cheese: Sorachi Ace

Wildflower Cheddar, Fontina, Lemon Zest, and Candied Lemon Peel

Hop Inspired Grilled Cheese: Citra

Wildflower Cheddar, Hook’s 3yr Cheddar, Dried Currants, and Lychee Puree

Hop Inspired Grilled Cheese: Simcoe

Crater Lake Blue Cheese, Fontina, Grapefruit Zest, and Citrus Puree that includes Blood Orange, Cactus Pear, Ginger, and Bergamot 

Cantal is one of France’s longest made cheeses and is an AOC protected cheese. It is made from cows that were fed hay from November-April and is produced in 80lb wheels!

What does AOC mean?
The appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) which translates as “controlled designation of origin”, is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products. It is based on the concept of terroir.

(Stilton has a designation like this in Great Britain)

Being fairly new to the cheese world I haven’t had all of the traditional cheese of the world yet, so I thought this one and the Fourme d’ambert, a French AOC blue cheese, would be a great start.

———-TASTING NOTES————-

The first bite I had of this cheese was fairly mild, a bit tangy, and buttery. The section I have cut from the wheel is a quarter of 80lb, so the first piece I cut was from the center of the wheel. Then I cut a piece closer to the rind, and whoah, flavors reminiscent of Scharfe Maxx came to my mind, barnyard, funk, hay, and must.

I would pair this with ciders, saisions, and tripels. (Check out my tasting notes for the Etienne-Dupont Cidre Reserve that I paired with this cheese also from France!)

The Dupont family has a long history, dating back 3 centuries, and starting in the cider, pommeau, and calvados business in 1887. (And an interesting fact for us females of the beverage industry is that it hasn’t been just men at the reins of this company! A wife took hold after her husband died, and now currently a brother and sister co-own it together.) The estate consists of about 30 hectares (74 acres).

This is the Etienne-Dupont Cidre Reserve 2011 that has been aged in Calvados barrels for 6 months.

Their website is absolutely divine, full of tasting notes, serving suggestions, and lovely pictures of the estate!

————TASTING NOTES—————

Aroma: apples, white grapes, granny smith apples, apricot, I always get this really refreshing barnyard farmstead smell from their ciders, like fresh hay. It is one of the reasons is pairs so well with wash rind cheeses like Taleggio, Grayson, and the cheese featured in the picture the Cantal. (tasting notes on Cantal here!)

Taste: A lovely blend of all of the aromas mentioned above. The calvados definitely gives this cider a well rounded sweetness that makes it a bit more complex than their other ciders.

Mouthfeel: The age on this cider creates a smooth mouthfeel, the carbonation is subtle but still refreshing.

This cider is currently on draft at The Birch!

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Love the last line!

Many of you have tried Sweet Grass’s Thomasville Tomme, a delicious Tomme style cheese, creamy and tangy. And we can’t talk about IPAs today without talking about blue cheese. (Session IPA Side by Side).

Now we have Asher Blue in stock. They have a video over on their website that features the Littles (owners and cheesemakers at Sweet Grass) talking about this cheese. It is one of 3 natural rind blue cheeses in the country, and if Jeremy Little could only eat one cheese the rest of his life it would have to be blue!

———-TASTING NOTES —————

On first appearance I thought they had accidentally wrapped a Thomasville Tomme in the wrong foil, the rinds look very similar and have a similar size and shape. I slice into it and ta da, blue veins a plenty.

It is definitely a stinky cheese but not overpowering. It smells like a barn, hay, livestock, and especially sheep’s wool. (It smells like this sweater I got in Ireland a few years back!) It isn’t very crumbly and slices very nicely. The texture is smooth and creamy. It is definitely earthy and mushroomy, as the Jeremy Little describes it in the video.

Check out the rest of their products here and the videos about Asher Blue!