Editor's Note: Our friend Joe Burgers a.k.a. @bakerandthebeerd brings us his take on this month's curdbox and his beer-ish thoughts each month. If you're a fan of beer and cheese, this is the blog for you! And if you want to join our merry band of cheese lovers, head on over to our subscription page to sign up for your monthly box!
December’s Curdbox theme is Cheers! I kissed the 2020 dumpster fire goodbye and rang in 2021 with this scrumptious spread of cheese, snacks, and two incredible American wild ales.
Fior d’Arancio is an Italian blue cheese bathed in sweet wine of the same name, then topped with orange peel along its rind for delicious fruit and honey notes on a creamy blue with mild funk. This cheese paired best with Side Project Punchdown Chambourcin, an exceptionally smooth hybrid beer featuring a French Oak Flanders Red blended with locally harvested Chambourcin wine grape must. Punchdown was also surprisingly great with the Divina Sweet Sangria olives.
Embrace the Funk’s Assemblage Noble is another blended ale, featuring hoppy young Saison blended with oak aged 3 year old spontaneously fermented beer. Assemblage Noble is outstandingly balanced and refreshing, an all-purpose table beer that goes great with sweet, sour, and savory foods. While Kerrygold Dubliner with Irish Stout gives subtle notes of salted caramel fudge, El Piconero al Cognac is a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese aged in cognac and covered in herbs for a highly distinct flavor that fully shines alongside this kind of lighter beer with a depth of delicate hop flavor.
Mitica’s Spanish cocktail mix and Italian taralli round out the board as delicious savory snacks that pair with every cheese in the box.
If you're new to Curdbox, use my code "beerncheese" for $5 off, and start your own journey of monthly beer and cheese pairing.
