Dairy Pairy: April 2007 Archives

SLO Chai Cream Ale

Our last run-in with a botanical infused beer wasn’t pretty, so it was with great skepticism and courage that we plucked this San Louis Obispo Chai Cream Ale off the shelf. One of us was on vacation up the Central Coast and it just seemed wrong not to sample the local goods. This brew comes from something called, quite directly, Central Coast Brewing. With the exception of the exceedingly mediocre brews made by Firestone, California’s Central Valley lacks standouts from anywhere south of Mendocino. So we crossed our fingers and took a sip. Truth be told, the stuff wasn’t half bad — maybe more like 10% bad. The chai absolutely rules; the spicy head on this beer is what all pumpkin-tinged gimmicky fall beers try to be. The mix of cinnamon, mace and chai are followed by a slight acrid bite, tangy pear or apple. It’s the taste of an incredible spiced cider. Unfortunately, it’s not a cider, it’s masquerading as a cream ale, but the watery mouthfeel and light viscosity are off-putting when you expect something frothier, richer. The bubbles taste like a soy latte where they should taste like a buttery capuchino. Still, it beats the pumpkin shit any day.

Dairy Pairy: Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk
Soundtrack: Cornershop’s Hand Cream for a Generation

Oregon Blue

In mapping the human genome, scientists have yet to uncover why humans like smoked foods so damn much. Smoked almonds, barbecue sauce, bacon bits. It’s primordial. We like fire. This partly explains why whenever one of us makes a trip to Northern California we have to buy a hunk of Rogue Creamery’s Oregon Blue and bring it back to the clan. This light, white and only mildy veined blue is supposedly the first artisan blue cheese to be made on the West Coast. It’s also the only fucking cheese we know that gets smoked for 16 hours over Northwest-grown hazelnut shells. The process leads to an excessively soft but crumbly cheese that has less of a mold bite and more of a caramel lick, making it great for folding into hot dishes without destroying any delicate flavors; the funk is kept under wraps. Best of all, like all Rogue creamery products you can rest assured that your creamy craving is being met by sustainable, cow-friendly farming practices. It may not be the stankiest blue in town, but it's the most bacon-like.

Grain: Rogue’s Russian Imperial Stout 2007
Grape: Cardinal Zin