Belgium Ale and Blue Cheese- WOW!

[Porthos]

I apologize if I'm severely late to this party but I'm having a total revelation right now with my Pranqster and Delerium Tremens with some bleu Saint Agur and some raw milk Kaltbach cave-aged emmentaler. The combo is doing much more for both than the 2004 Pontet Canet I was drinking over the weekend. The beer and cheese pairing highlights the creaminess of the bleu cheese and the sweetness of the ale awesomely.

Anyone have other Belgium beer/belgium style beer pairing with cheese suggestions?

[peppermonkey]

Allagash Curieux goes so well with cheese. For me beer is just so much better with cheese than any sweet wines

[The Professor]

I've yet to find a beer that _doesn't_ go along along smashingly well with bleu cheese.
Love the Maytag Blue, and there's a smoked gorgonzola made by a small company in Pennsylvania that is great with beer as well.

Also I love both Limburger and Leiderkranz cheeses (they're not blue cheeses, but are deliciously ripe)...usually on crackers with some onions...along with a glass of beer.

[Bill Shankly]

Charles Quint fits perfectly with blue. http://www.charlesquint.be/index_en.html
Many of the trappist abbeys also produce cheese (I think they don't ship it), I don't have to mention the cheese "Chimay à la bière" was created to match a Chimay Red. Old Gouda cheese teams up well with Westmalle Tripel.

[LStaff]

You can find Chimay cheeses in the states. My local Whole Foods has them on occassion. My local beer store has the white label in their cheese cooler.

[bulavinaka]

I tried both and didn't care for them. I don't know if they were bad or not, but both had a bitter component.

[LStaff]

I have only tried the white label - way too "farmy" for me.

[shellshock24]

I agree, I don't care much for any of the Chimay cheeses. They all have some sort of grainy/sandy quality to them that is kind of off-putting.

[bulavinaka]

Gouden Carolus D'or Cuvee van de Keizer goes nice with blue. Heck, it's nice just on its own...

[Porthos]

Love Cuvee van de Keizer. Too bad Whole Foods doesn't carry it. I've only been able to find it at Bristol Farms.

[shellshock24]

Cuvee Van de Keizer Blauw is my go to BSD/Quad. I try to stock up whenever I see it anywhere.

[bulavinaka]

I usually get it at Bristol Farms in Westchester - tried to tonight, but they were out. :( I recall seeing it at Beverage Warehouse - will report back when I drop by there either this or next weekend...

[dandyessex]

Carolus' Ambrio is also a great cheese beer! Lots of bright acidity to cut through something creamy. And its nice yeasty flavour is ideal for many cheeses.

Another good pairing for blues is a good gueze.

[shellshock24]

Although not a Belgian beer, my first beer and cheese mind blowing moment many years ago was when I took a sip of Anchor's Old Fogforn barleywine and a bite of Maytag Bleu Cheese (and both the brewery and the cheese are owned by Fritz Maytag).

As for Belgian beers, I love a Caralous Van Keizer Blauw and a good cave-aged gruyere

[Jim Dorsch]

The brewery was owned by Fritz Maytag, but that's no longer the case.

I don't believe Fritz owns the cheese company, or at least not all of it.

[shellshock24]

Ooops, I don't know how I forgot about the sale of Anchor! Thanks for the correction. I know Fritz is on the Board for the Maytag farms, but not the sole owner.

[Jim Dorsch]

I guess after 45 years or so you get used to something being a certain way.