Cabrales Cheese with Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout

I've been wanting to try this pairing actually for months now...this was supposed to be done with the Sam Smith Imperial Russian Stout I have, but I'm saving to open those with the Beertender. Cabrales, for those of you who might not know, is a Spanish type of Blue cheese. It is very strong and spicy, made with unpasteurized cow's milk, then aged in Caves for about 5 months at temperatures between 7 to 14 degrees C. This ageing gives the cheese the very strong smell/taste it has. Its quite spicy as well, which comes from the ageing in the caves. Cabrales paired with the Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout, is a perfect match. I don't think any other drink will stand up to this cheese, unless it's a very sweet dessert wine, like a PX. Both the Beer and the Cheese are very potent, so be ready to grow some hair on your chest!

Indian food with an IPA

A very relaxing Sunday lunch today since we were quite tired from the weekend. I decided to cook Biryani Rice and Rogan Josh for lunch, served with some cucumber and Yogurt. I paired this with beer. A Southern Tier India Pale Ale. Pairing was great this beer is quite light and refreshing contrasting the spiciness of the Rogan Josh and the spices of the Biryani.

I need to stock up on more IPA's at home...

Beer tasting with the Beermaster

I've been trying to plan this beer tasting for quite some time now. My travelling and other obligations did not make this possible but finally, we were able to set this up just a few days before Christmas.

The beermaster, Jim Araneta, owns and manages Global Beer Exchange, the only company in the Philippines distributing American craft beer. Beer in many ways is like wine, some needing ageing in the bottle. Tasting is done the same way, although with beer tpu gulp it rather then swirl it arpund your mouth like wine American beer is still considered new world wine, just like American wine like Napa, etc...old world beer would be Belgian and German.

Anyway, on we go with the tasting. We held this at Elbert's Steak Room (many thanks Elbert and Adrian Cuenca). Jim brought a total of 7 different beers which he called bombers (650 ml.) from light to very heavy stronger beer for the end.

The first 3 bottles we had were: Rogue John John Juniper Ale, Stone Vertical Epic 10.10.10 and a Brother Davids triple. These were the lighter beers, closer to wheat Beers that I am more used to. The vertical Epic, a limited edition that's release every year, is meant to be aged for 2 years. It is blended with muscat, Sauvignon blanc and Gewürztraminer. Very interesting to see how this will age.



After a short break and a salad, 2 more beers were opened: Rogue Yellow Snow IPA (India Pale Ale) and Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale. Now we are talking Beers, this ones will grow hair on your chest!! This ones were hoppier and with more bitter finish than the rest. Not everyones type of beer but once you get to try several, it grows on you. Also to mention the beers have very high alcohol content, like 12-13%, so they are almost like wine.


Another break and the special Chefs burgers we ordered arrive. I was not able to take a picture, but if you have a chance you must try this. Hand chopped tenderloin, mixed with bone marrow, grilled rare with twice fried fries: Heaven! We also shared a cheese steak, mixed with Gorgonzola and cheddar cheese. With the food, we had 2 bites of wine: 2005 Mauro Sebaste Barolo and a Silver Oak California. I enjoyed my burger more with the Barolo, a more full bodied wine.

The last 2 beers were dessert beer: Mokah Imperial Stout and a Stone Old Guardian Barley wine.


These 2 were probably my favorite wines. The Stout was what I was expecting with strong aroma and even feel of powdered chocolate. I can easily have this with churros, instead of the hot chocolate. The barley wine was not as sweet but toward the end it opened up and I could smell/taste molasses, honey and even some apricot.

We ended this long lunch with some McCallan single malt and am espresso. Many thanks to Jim for bringing all the beers and to Elbert. We should do this again soon.