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!
January’s Curdbox theme is Fireside Glow, and this box is full of salty and sweet flavors, and just a little bit of funk. I paired my Curdbox with two renowned Belgian lambic beers, Cantillon Kriek and 3 Fonteinen Oude Gueuze.
Center frame is a Jasper Hill Mini Harbison, a creamy cheese with a lot of character.
Though not photographed this way, my pro tip for the Mini Harbison is to cut off the top rind, warm it up a bit, and then dump some of the delicious Red Camper cherry fig jam into the middle. Scoop that bite with the little savory “cheese biscuit” crackers for my favorite bite of the box. The dry, wild, complex Oude Gueuze makes a delicious pairing.
Emmi Emmental is a classic Swiss cheese dating back to 1782! This versatile cheese goes with just about any pairing and any palate, but I enjoyed it best with the natural cherry skin flavor of Cantillon Kriek.
Cabot Clothbound Cheddar is another beautiful cheese from Vermont’s Jasper Hill Farm, bringing a crumbly texture and nutty, mature taste to round out the box. I loved throwing a few Sweety Drop peppers on a slice of this aged cheddar to pair with the Kriek for a robust mouthful of joy.
If you’ve never experienced the delicious satisfaction of traditional lambic ales, they can be hard to track down in the States, but are always worth the investment for an experience that dates back to 13th Century Belgium.
If you're new to Curdbox, use my code "beerncheese" for $5 off, and start your own journey of monthly beer and cheese pairing.
