Texas Terroir: Artisan Cheese & Craft Beer

I love cheese. The other food bloggers are horrified when I tell them I don't really like sweets, but my deep dark (not so) secret is that, while I can always pass up a cupcake any day of the week, I can never, ever pass up queso or Brie or Stilton or.... Well, you get the picture.

Needless to say, when I found out the American Cheese Society was having their annual conference in Austin, I had to find a way to go. I decided to volunteer so that I could experience the conference from behind the scenes, hopefully pick up a few tricks of the trade and, of course, score a ticket to the Festival of Cheese on Saturday evening.

I had a blast. Yes, I got up at 6 am on a Saturday. And, yes, I stood up for 10 hours washing fruit

and plating cheese, chocolate and olives. And, it was so much fun.

The highlight of the day was at the end of our shift when we got to attend and serve at the Texas Terroir panel. Some of the best cheese makers in the state (Paula Lamber from Mozzarella Company, Amelia Sweethardt from Pure Luck Dairy and Stuart Veldhuizen from Veldhuizen Farmstead Cheese) paired up with the brew masters of Real Ale Brewing (Tim Schwartz) and Live Oak Brewing (Chip McElroy) and created a magical, mildly raucous panel.

I love listening to people who are passionate about what they do discuss it in detail. They all had such great stories about their inspiration for each product. I now know what earns a cheese the farmstead label, it's made in the same place that the livestock is raised, and what spices make Montasio Festivo have that little something extra when you taste the rind. I was a little worried that there was going to be a throw down when one of the brew masters said that beer pairs better with cheese than wine, but in this case he might have been right.

My favorite cheese of the day, including what felt like hundreds of cheeses that I tasted at the Festival that evening, was Hopelessly Bleu from Pure Luck dairy. Pure Luck is such a great success story and they make fabulous cheeses. Hopelessly Bleu is a beautiful, luscious blue goat cheese that I could eat every day - although I'm sure my doctor and my cholesterol test would beg to differ. At the tasting, they paired it with the Live Oak HefeWeizen or the Real Ale ESB, but I prefered it all by itself.

I've listed all the pairings below, but I offer up one caveat. Most of the Real Ale selections aren't being bottled yet so they are only available at tap houses like the Flying Saucer, Gingerman or the Draught House Pub. You might call ahead to see what they have available. The Real ESB is the Drafthouse ESB at the Alamo Drafthouse.

So, invite over some friends and start savoring the Texas Terroir, because it is pretty darn great.

Pairing 1: Pure Luck Black Pepper Chevre with Real Ale Devil's Backbone (a Belgian-style tripel that Uncle Billy's Brew & Que was carrying, but they may already be out) or Live Oak Pilz

Pairing 2: Veldhuizen Red Neck Cheddar (it's made by pouring dark beer over the curd) with Live Oak Pilz or Real Ale E.S.B

Pairing 3: Mozzarella Company Montasio Festivo (this has ancho chile in the rind - yum!) with Real Ale Devil's Backbone or Life Oak HefeWeizen

Pairing 4: Pure Luck Hopelessly Bleu (my favorite cheese of the entire day) with Live Oak HefeWeizen or Real Ale E.S.B.

Pairing 5: Veldhuizen Paragon (great snacking cheese) with Real Ale 13th Anniversary Ale or Live Oak IPA

Pairing 6: Mozzarella Company La Cocina Caciotta (made with five chiles, cilantro and garlic - flavorful, not too spicy) with Live Oak IPA or Real Ale 13th Anniversary Ale