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Good Taste: Perfect pairing with beer

Perfect for pairing with beer Beer and cheese are perfect together at the table. Used together in the cheese room, the two unite for something powerful and unique, with beer used to wash the rinds of aging cheeses adding an extra layers of complexity, swa

A platter shot of 4-5 different local cheeses washed in beer.   (Akira Suwa/Staff Photographer)
A platter shot of 4-5 different local cheeses washed in beer. (Akira Suwa/Staff Photographer)Read more

Perfect for pairing with beer

Beer and cheese are perfect together at the table. Used together in the cheese room, the two unite for something powerful and unique, with beer used to wash the rinds of aging cheeses adding an extra layers of complexity, swagger, and funk. With local cheese-makers and brewers teaming up now more than ever, the possibilities for a special Beer Week platter are impressive. Here are four current favorites from two vendors at the Reading Terminal Market, Valley Shepherd Creamery and the Fair Food Farmstand.

- Craig LaBan
Foxblood is Valley Shepherd's young gouda washed in Ichor, a Belgian-style quadruple ale from Sly Fox whose dark richness leaves a deeply fruity tang on the rind of this semi-firm snacker. On sale for $19.99 per pound (usually $24.99).

Talegginator from Keswick Creamy is an oozy, stinky riff on Italian Taleggio washed with Troegenator double bock from Tröegs. Sticky, racy, pungent, daring, and $26 per pound at Fair Food.

Yellow Brick Road, an earthy cave-aged, goat's milk tomme-style hard cheese from Yellow Springs washed in Victory's Golden Monkey. Subtle, elegant, nutty, tangy, and the powdery rind tastes of fruity yeast. $36 per pound at Fair Food.

Bathed in Victory from Doe Run (and collaborator Di Bruno Bros.) is a powerhouse, both brined and washed in various Victory ales. Tacky-rinded and Chimay-like with a stretchy paste, this one has a beefy, hoppy swagger. $28.95 per pound at Fair Food and $29.99 at Di Bruno Bros.