Taking Dogfish Head Craft Brewery up on their challenge, we paired the Off-Centered pack with Cabot Creamery cheeses.
Whether we like to admit it, the first thing that comes to mind for pairings with cheese is wine. But that isn’t always the case. In fact, many other respectable minds would argue that beer, cider, and (yeah) even spirits pair well with cheese. For this writer, we’ve been espousing the virtues of a stout, porter, Belgian dubbel, or india pale ale, for years. Which is why we were excited when Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewing announced they were releasing a new beer, designed to pair with cheese.
Called The Perfect Pairing, Dogfish Head’s brewers aspired to pair one of the beers with regional creamery, Cabot Creamery. Recognizing the popularity of their Sharp Cheddar, Dogfish Head brewers through trial and error a hazy pale ale recipe, designed to complement and amplify the creamery’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar. The result is The Perfect Pairing, a beer described by the brewery as having notes of pineapple, orange, mango, lemon peel, white grapefruit, creamsicle, and cracker-like malt flavor. But how does it pair?
Well, in cooperation with Cabot Creamery and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s Off-Centered Party Pack, we took up the challenge to find out for ourselves. And the results were, well, fun. Let’s break it down.
60 Minute India Pale Ale & Cabot Alpine Cheddar
Described by the brewery as having notes of pine and citrus, 60 Minute IPA is one of the india pale ales that put Dogfish Head on the map. Brewed continuously for 60 minutes with hops, 60 Minute IPA is available wherever you find other DFH beers. Here’s an excerpt from their story of 60 Minute IPA.
Brewed using a boatload of intense Northwest hops, we boil this continually hopped IPA for a full 60 minutes, adding more than 60 hop additions continuously to create a bold and timeless flavor. Continually hopped to deliver a pungently, citrusy, grassy hop flavor without being crushingly bitter, 60 Minute IPA is a surprisingly sessionable IPA for the craft enthusiast.
If you are keen to learn more, you’ll notice here, https://www.dogfish.com/brewery/beer/60-minute-ipa, the brewery has playfully suggested food pairings including; you guessed it, vintage cheddar. So, naturally, we paired this beer with Cabot Creamery’s Alpine White Cheddar.
Starting with the 60 Minute IPA, focussing only on aromas and flavors, we recovered notes of tangerine and orange citrus, a bit of pine and grass, along with some sweet toffee. Overall, it has a medium mouthfeel, an alcoholic warmth, and a lingering bitterness.
Slicing off a piece of Alpine White Cheddar, we memorized the flavors and textures before taking a sip of 60 Minute. And? It works!
Gotta admit, there are some rough edges, but like a puzzle piece that almost fits, this was a fun pairing and one we will try again and again.
90 Minute IPA and Habanero Cheddar
Following 60 Minute, we cracked up a can of the OG 90 Minute IPA.
The first beer that introduced craft imbibers to extreme brewing, 90 Minute IPA is brewed continuously with hops for 90 minutes. The result is a beer described by the brewery as having notes of pine, citrus, brandied fruitcake, raiseny, and citrusy, and lingering bitterness. Telling the origin story of this beer, is the brewery again.
Back in the 90’s, Sam was struck by a cooking show demo teaching viewers how to properly season soup through a process of continuous peppering. As it stewed and simmered, the chef added pepper in small but consistent doses, bringing through a unique bold taste and intense savory notes. If it worked for soup, why not beer?! Inspiration sparked and Sam knew that Dogfish needed to bring this idea of continuous dosing to our hop additions in the brewhouse.
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Continual hopping provided a beautiful balance to our Imperial IPA - allowing us to add a foolhardy amount of hops throughout the boil without making 90 Minute crushingly bitter. With rich pine and fruity citrus hop aromas and a strong malt backbone, 90 Minute IPA created pungent, unapologetic flavor that led Esquire to call it “perhaps the best IPA in America.”
Reading more here, one will stumble across their cheese pairing guide, which has a suggestion for Stilton. A traditional English cheese, it is known for having a lactic character, along with a richness, and a balance between blue mold, butter, and earth. So, instead of Stilton, the brewery and Cabot Creamery have suggested a Habanero Cheddar.
As we did with the 60 Minute IPA, we start with the beer, savoring the aroma and flavor. The result is a beer that has notes of orange citrus, bits of pine, and a balance of sweet dark fruit which mellows out the initial bitterness. Overall, 90 Minute IPA has a medium to strong mouthfeel, a definite alcoholic warmth, and a lingering bitterness.
Taking a chunk of the Cabot Creamery Habanero Cheddar in our mouth, it to slowly dissolves before we take a sip of 90 Minute. And?
Not nearly on the mark as we were hoping, we felt the heat of the pepper was a distraction. But we see what the creamery and brewery were going for once you get past the heat.
Blue Hen Pilsner & Pepper Jack
Continuing the journey, we tried an exclusive to the brewery’s Hoppy Variety Pack, Blue Hen Pilsner.
Released in 2021, the brewery has summed this relative newcomer up this way.
Blue Hen Pilsner is a crisp and refreshing pilsner brewed with only four ingredients – water, hops, yeast, and Delaware-grown and malted barley. Giving a loving nod to our slight yet mighty home state, the label art features the Delaware state bird and a color palette similar to that of the Delaware state flag!
A beer so new, they didn’t provide any pairing suggestions. The brewery and Cabot Creamery have suggested we pair this with the Pepper Jack. Which makes sense as you want to pair a pilsner with something that is airy, that melts in your mouth,
Starting with Blue Hen, focussing on the aroma and flavor, we found notes of biscuit breadiness, notes of grass and earth, and some fresh herbs. Overall, Blue Hen has a mild to medium mouthfeel, a minor alcoholic warmth, and some lingering bitterness.
Slicing off some Pepper Jack allowing it to melt in our mouth, before taking a sip, we tasted a balance between the milder peppers which had noticeable notes of citrus, creaminess, and a mild tang. And?
This pairing worked much better than the one we tried with 90 Minute IPA and Habanero. Again, a little rough on the edges, but still a solid marriage between Blue Hen Pilsner and Pepper Jack.
Finally, we save the star of the show for last - The Perfect Pairing Hazy Pale Ale, paired with Cabot Creamery Seriously Sharp Cheddar.
The Perfect Pairing Hazy Pale Ale & Seriously Sharp Cheddar
Wasting no time, here is a condensed walkthrough of The Perfect Pairing by Dogfish Head.
Developed from a sensory perspective alongside the Cabot team, The Perfect Paring is a hazy pale ale that’s unfiltered, hop-forward, and citrusy in the most perfect way.
Speaking of way … or should we say WHEY … The Perfect Pairing has a beautiful hazy golden hue thanks to cultures and upcycled whey – a bi-product of the cheese making process – from our friends at Cabot. These additions help adjust the pH of the wort prior to fermentation, making for a cleaner hop bitterness that enhances the juiciness of the hops. Pretty science-y, huh?
Summed up as having notes of orange citrus, pineapple, mango, lemon peel, white grapefruit, cream sicle, we sampled a can of The Perfect Pairing.
Focusing only on aromas and perceptible characteristics, The Perfect Pairing has notes of tropical pineapple, lemon peel, orange citrus, some vanilla, and a bit of crisp biscuit. Overall, The Perfect Pairing has a medium mouthfeel, some alcoholic warmth, and a bit of cloying stickiness.
Following The Perfect Pairing, we sliced and allowed some Seriously Sharp Cheddar to rest on our tongue. Described by the creamer as having “Complex, wildly intense flavors…”, we were taken aback by how creamy this so-called Sharp Cheddar was.
This was by far our favorite pairing, as it was clear the brewery and the creamery worked to create a balance in every bite, sip, and swallow.
By itself, The Perfect Pairing is a crushable and layered hazy pale and one we would enjoy a six-pack of. But, when paired with Cabot Creamery’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese, we understand why the brewery and the creamery were excited about this collaboration. As for the other pairings, our second favorite was the 60 Minute IPA, followed by the Blue Hen Pilsner, and finally the 90 Minute IPA.
But don’t let our thoughts impede you from experiencing the perfect pairing. Go pick up these beers, and use the following pairing suggestions if you can’t find Cabot Creamery near you.
The Perfect Pairing & Sharp Cheddar
Blue Hen Pilsner & Pepper Jack
90 Minute IPA & Stilton
60 Minute IPA & Aged Cheddar
And after you’ve tried these, let us know by commenting.
Special thanks to Cabot Creamery and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery for supplying us with cheese & beer to experience this at home.
