The Cheese
The Fiscalini Cheese Company is only about 7 years old (founded in 2000), but John Fiscalini’s history with dairy and cheese making goes all the way back to Switzerland of the 1700’s, where his ancestors ran a dairy and cheese making operation. John’s family has been in the dairy business in California for generations, and John always wanted to make cheese. In 2000, he teamed up with cheese maker Tom Putler to develop his first cheese, San Joaquin Gold—a semi-hard cheese in the Parmesan/Asiago family. The following year, John coaxed Mariano Gonzalez, a superb award-winning cheese maker originally form Paraguay, into coming to California to work with the fledgling company. The resulting cheeses, their 18 and 30 month Natural Bandaged Cheddars, are spectacular!

Fiscalini’s cheddar is made in the traditional English milled-curd method, in 60-pound cylinders wrapped and aged in cheesecloth. This is a true farmstead cheese, meaning the cheese is made on the same property where the animals are raised and milked. It contains no additional coloring and no artificial anything.

The 30 month cheddar is so intense, it may be beyond the palate of some. But I think most of us really appreciate a gastronomic delight of this complexity. At once creamy and crumbly, this raw milk cheese exhibits a broad array of flavors from beefy and brothy to fruity and earthy. In short, this cheese reminds why cheddar is, as quoted in Monty Python’s famous cheese shop skit, “the single most popular cheese in the world!”

Of note to cheddar lovers: Cheddar is not only the name of a cheese; it is also the name of the town and the gorge in Southwestern England in which the cheese was first made and aged. The term “cheddar” also refers to a step in the cheese making process in which moisture is pressed from the cheese using the weight of the curd itself.

The Beer
The Trappist Monks have always been great brewers and are responsible for some of the world’s finest beers. There are five Trappist Breweries left in the world, all in Belgium. The most well known and best-distributed is the Chimay label boasting 3 different Trappist Beers; their flagship red label (like a Dubbel), their blue label Grand Reserve (originally introduced as a winter warmer, but so popular they now make it year-round) and their Tripel, yellow label ‘Cinq Cent.” It is this third version I am drawn to today.

The name Tripel (sometimes spelled Trippel) probably refers to the higher amount of grain used to brew this beer, hence the higher alcohol content – but the origins are uncertain. It is almost as pale in color as a pilsner (read Budweiser, Coors, Miller and the like), with a hint of reddish-orange. But at around 9% alcohol, it is a bit fuller and certainly more complex.

The Belgians are fond of using adjuncts in their beers. These include everything from bitter orange peel and rock candy sugar to clove and coriander, even licorice. This beer has a distinct note of coriander. It also has a world-class snow-white rocky head. When you pour this beer, I strongly recommended you use a chalice-style glass to accommodate the head and accentuate the aromas. Mildly hopped and fruity, with a distinctly dry finish, this golden siren is all about the beauty of light roast malt and the magic of traditional yeasts. Raise a glass to the King of Summer Beers!

The Extras
The complex flavors in these two are enough to drive any pairing. With a longtime tradition like cheddar and ale, the accompaniments can range from the mundane to the bizarre. I like to stick to tradition with apples, cured meats, and hearty wheat bread.

Why It Works
Cheddar is one of the most intriguing flavors in the world, and this Belgian Trappist beer is more than a match in both heft and flavor. Sometimes a summer-friendly beverage can be too ‘light’ on the palate to balance the cheese, but this Tripel is weighty without being heavy. Hard to explain, but easy to experience. Both the cheese and the beer bring fruity flavors, with rich beefiness in the cheese and light hops in the beer providing the perfect balancing elements.

Created for Barbara Admas Beyond Wonderful
by Cheese Expert, Mark "The Cheese Dude" Todd.

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