Since I’ve been doing 2 recipes for the past couple months I figured I’d continue the tradition and even kick it up a notch with a 3rd recipe for this go around. So here’s a little background on what I’ve done on a simple dish that packs a lot of flavor.

While most people use lighter beers such as generic pale ales to the typical force-fed American lagers like Budweiser and the like, I decided to go big and bold to try to really change the flavor profile of a classic dish. I went through about 10 different styles of cheeses when trying to pair them with each brew until I got a hold of a few that were accessable all over and also not too crazy expensive.

The Beers:

Bell’s Hopslam – A massive 10%abv take on a Double IPA, packed full of 6 different types of hops ending with a dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops. Amongst the grapefruit and the floral notes is the sweet taste of honey that they used with the malt to balance everything out.

Heavy Sea’s Smoke on the Water – This 8%abv Smoked Porter delivers a rich yet subtle smokey taste from the smoked malts that is complimented by an even sweetness. An overall great addition to a growing style of beer that has been pioneered by Alaskan, with their Alaskan Smoked Porter originally brewed in 1988.

The Dishes:

Bell’s Hopslam with Smoked Gouda and Extra Sharp NY Cheddar Cheeses, paired with Leeks, Parsnips, Onion, Garlic, Celery, Chicken Stock, Bacon, Cayenne, White Pepper, and just a bit of salt. Since Hopslam is packing such a punch I wanted to pair it up with a cheese that could handle evening it out.

Heavy Sea’s Smoke on the Water with Extra Sharp NY Cheddar, Gruyere, and Havarti Cheeses paired up with Red Bell Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Celery, Chicken Stock, Milk, Cayenne, Nutmeg, White Pepper, and again just a bit of salt. A lot of people that I talked to wanted me to go for the obvious even, Heavy Sea’s website instructed, Smoked Gouda with this, but i wanted these two dishes to be really different from each other. So, I went with a few chesses that have a great creamy quality and flavor, but don’t try to take the front seat in front of the beer.

Homemade Pretzel Twists were a last minute addition that I thought would be a simple and awesome way to spice the “dipping” situation from typical crackers or breads. I didn’t do anything fancy to it, though I suppose I could have added a bit of the Hopslam to it. So do whatever you feel like to this one, add some rye flour, beer, other seasonings, etc…

With all this said, please feel free to check them both out in the Main Courses page, and the Twists in the Sides page.

As always,

Eat Well, Drink Well