Tag: 48

When the first crisp breezes of autumn are in the air, you know it’s time for Oktoberfest – that boisterous celebration of Bavarian heritage that despite its name falls in mid-September, heralded by clinking steins and the joyous pulse of oompah music.

Marzen, the style of lager traditionally drunk at Oktoberfest, is named for the month of March, when it was produced in compliance with medieval Bavarian law that prohibited brewing during the summer months.

Given that Oktoberfest beers are consumed in full liter increments, it’s no surprise that they are known for supreme drinkability.  But don’t mistake this genre for swill – here are three unique American and German Marzens that make excellent complements to some of the world’s finest cheeses.

Oktoberfest Marzen-style Lager

Blue Point Brewing Company (Patchogue, NY)

Consider this your warmup round, or appetizer – a light, sweet, floral, thirst-quenching brew that invites savory accompaniments and thus lends itself to a wide range of possible cheese pairings.

• A golden-hued, light bodied, very balanced and highly quaffable lager
• Pleasant yeasty and floral aromas accompany a dominant malty sweetness – a perfect complement to equally light bodied, but lemony and tangy soft goat’s milk cheeses
• It’s so easy to drink this beer, you might forget to move on to the next two if you’re not careful!

Cheese Pairings:   Humboldt Fog, Chabichou du Poitou, Pico Picandine, Westfield Farm Capri, Bucheron

2017 Oktoberfest Marzen-style Lager

Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA) & Brauhaus Miltenberger (Miltenberg, Germany)

With this American-German collaboration, Sierra Nevada and Brauhaus Miltenberger offer a brew that packs more punch without sacrificing drinkability.  Its forward hoppiness does well with cheddars and fudgy Alpine style cheeses.

• Deep, hazy amber tone with aromas of dewy grass and subtle tangerine notes
• Creamy mouthfeel with a focused citrus-peel bitterness that conditions the taste buds for a rich, nutty and tangy pairing – think American cheddars and Alpine-style cheeses
• There’s more here to be savored, but don’t mistake this for sipping beer. Drink, eat, repeat!

Pairings:  5 Spoke Creamery Tumbleweed, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Consider Bardwell Rupert, Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Milton Creamery Flory’s Truckle

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Smoked Marzen-style Lager

Brauerei Heller (Bamberg, Germany)

The final selection, from Bavaria’s historic Brauerei Heller, fires on all cylinders, making it a superb accompaniment to strong, buttery blues and sweet fruit preserves.

• Dark mahogany color, with aromas of smoke and black cherry syrup
• Light to medium body, with a slightly tart lingering finish, this Marzen nevertheless drinks like a heavier beer due to the intensity of the smoke
• Time for dessert – sip this bad boy alongside a rich, creamy blue cheese topped with cherries in syrup or preserved walnuts

Pairings:  Chiriboga Blue, Persille de Rambouillet, Cambozola Black Label, Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese, Fourme d’Ambert

Written by: Tyler Frankenberg, Murray’s Cheese

It’s all about they hay. Hay hay hay.

On Thursday, five of us from Murray’s packed a car full of cheese and took off northward, towards Vermont. Our plan: spend time at Consider Bardwell, Jasper Hill and Vermont Creamery before heading to celebrate all things Vermont Cheese at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival.

Come Saturday, we had spent a whirlwind 48 hours driving, hanging out with so-cute-it-hurts goats and their kids and whey-eating piglets, getting up before the crack of dawn to make Rupert (ok, mostly watching the lovely cheesemakers at Consider Bardwell make Rupert), tasting through so many batches of Bayley Hazen our tongues got all tingly, walking through farms, suiting up for the caves…and eating cheese and more cheese, and then some more cheese. Some Vermont beer to watch it down. Then more cheese.

We’re all happy, excited and fired up. The postcard-worthy, saturated green landscapes of Vermont never get boring. Vermont summer is truly magnificent. At night, us city kids ogle a blanket of stars, deep quiet. At Consider Bardwell, Jasper Hill and Vermont Creamery the cheeseheads are so ridiculously generous with their time and knowledge that I’m inspired to be a better human being.

But hay! I digress.

Before this weekend, I spent approximately zero time thinking about hay. It was Mateo Kehler, who started and runs Jasper Hill with his brother Andy, who urged us to wake up early (so early!) and see his newest treasure: a hay drier. It didn’t really sound sexy. Sleep sounded better than a hay drier. But Mateo was pumped up, and so hay it was.

“It smells so good,” he said, that some time in and around his fragrant hay would make everyone want us. When we opened the car doors, the heady fragrance hit us. Long inhales. Like just-mown lawn and wildflowers and sunshine…it was a magic smell.

Great cheese starts with great milk. Great milk comes from happy cows. Mateo and his team at Jasper Hill have pioneered hay drying technology to feed their herd (really) well in the winter.

“The microbial quality of the milk is the sum total of all the practices on the farm,” he told us around some of his super fragrant hay. We kept sniffing. Rachel, Murray’s Cheese Bar’s cheese goddess, was getting inspired about cooking with hay. Mateo gave her a few baggies to take home. As I write, she’s experiment in the kitchen. Stay tuned.

I didn’t know hay is so hard to come by. The fields need three or four consecutive days without rain for the grass to be dry enough to gather and make hay. And cheese requires a gigantic amount of hay. One ton of hay yields about 850 pounds of milk, which makes about 100 pounds of cheese. That comes out to 20 pounds of hay for one pound of cheese.

Mateo’s hay drier is the first of its kind in North America. It means fields can be harvested after just two dry days, rather than four. It means he doesn’t have to rely on hay from Canada, or even worse, fermented silage, which is tough on cow tummies and makes less wonderful milk. “The health benefits for our animals are huge,” Mateo told us. “It’s about preserving the biology of grass on the field. Everything–ecology, bedding, eating, milking–everything effects the quality of the milk.”

“What we’re really doing is supporting a farm and a community. Cheese is the vehicle by which we do so.” We could feel that in Vermont. We met farmers, milkers, cheesemakers, affineurs, cheese-lovers, their family, their friends…a true community. It all starts with the hay. And these people. And their love.

 

What to do with leftover turkey? We asked our Murray’s team for their favorite next-day turkey dishes.

Brett – Assistant Retail Manager – If there is any white meat left, I thinly slice it and layer with hot peach chutney and Chiriboga Blue. The tart cranberry and rich buttery blue is a perfect pairing.

Dan – Education Manager – A turkey panini! I go for the rich dark meat, on a nutty whole grain bread with Consider Bardwell Rupert, grilled for maximum flavor. If I’m really indulging, I’ll dip the crusty sandwich in warm gravy. Oh yea, that’s good!

Sarah – Catering Associate – Brie Fermier with cranberry sauce and herb-roasted turkey on a crusty ciabatta, so perfect! No gravy for me, as that will overwhelm the delicate creaminess of the brie, but I would definitely enjoy a porter alongside this sandwich.

Alberto – Cheesemonger – Often I just go for a good smear of mayo, but I think the Tomme Chevre Aydius, with its firm paste and salty finish would be perfect with my mom’s white-wine basted turkey and stuffing on toasted sourdough pullman.

Conner – Wholesale – I keep it simple and go for a quick turkey salad. It’s as easy as mixing my leftover bird with SIr Kinskington mayo, cranberry relish, apples, parsley and candied walnuts. A crusty baguette and some Prairie Breeze Cheddar… that’s all there is to it!

Lizzie – Wholesale – Tacos, of-course! I use avocado, chimichurri, black beans, cilantro lime, and one of the all-time best melting cheeses Reading. Perfect for a day of laying around and recovering from a crazy turkey day!

Amanda – Nationwide – When I wake up the day after thanksgiving, there’s only one thing that I want to eat. I take my leftover stuffing, melt some nutty 2 year Comte over it, and fry and egg. BAM! Easy Black Friday breakfast

Andy maybe the best idea we have heard so far…

Sabrina – Nationwide – Thanksgiving Poutine! It’s pretty darn easy, and outrageously delicious. Take your leftover potatoes and make potato pancakes. top them with some leftover dressing and cheese curds!