Beer and Cheese Tasting, so that's a thing now?

The brewing room at 512

Austin is a city which revels in weirdness, so when a friend suggested that for dinner we go to a Beer and Cheese tasting, I thought; "Sure, why not?". The beer and cheese tasting was sponsored by Slow Food Austin, and hosted by (512) Brewing and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.

Having a beer with some locals

(512) Brewing, founded in 2008, recently celebrated their eighth anniversary and was hosting their 7th annual Beer and Cheese Tasting. So, apparently not a new thing, but something that they have been hosting nearly since their founding. It was a warm and social event attended by maybe 50-60 members and guests of Slow Food Austin. We met the owners of both the brewery and the cheese shop, who each shared with us a bit about their products and their love of beer and cheese.

Kevin Brand, co-founder, owner, brewer

Upon arrival we were welcomed into the brew room to taste from tap several of the beers currently being served at the brewery. Some which would be part of the tasting later, and some which were completely separate from the event plan.

StringGirl poses with one of the Cellarmen and the days taps

We started with the Pecan Porter Nitro followed by their 8th Anniversary Oatmeal Coffee Stout. Two nice strong dark beers with lots of deep flavors. The Porter was lower in carbonation as a nitro should be with subtle sweetness and malty nutty flavors. Local pecans provide the genuine nutty finish to balance the sweetness. For the Coffee stout the brewmaster admitted to cold brewing obscene amounts of coffee to augment their eighth anniversary brew. Each year they develop a new recipe for their anniversary, some as anniversary recipes are apt to do vanish after the celebration, others stick around. 8 deserves to stick around a few more years.

the beer and cheese pairings

Among the beers sampled prior to the tasting was the Wit, a belgian styled white ale. Spicy with plenty of coriander and grapefruit peel. Like the best belgian white ales was refreshingly spiced perfect for a summer day (but this was a cool autumn evening). For the tasting they featured the Wit, only with a subtle shift, it was a Gin Barrel Aged version. Gin Barrel used for aging with its juniper and various botanicals added even more complexity to the Wit.

StringGirl with the cheeses to be sampled

Other beers sampled were the Nut Brown, Bruin, IPA, Pale, and Cab Barrel Aged Tripel. With so many excellent beers and the fact that we did not keep detailed notes as we enjoyed each and every one these notes will have to be made shorter. I'll admit we looked up the notes from the website to boost our memory about each beer. So to avoid cribbing too much from their website, I can just say I thoroughly enjoyed every beer. From light to dark they really provided great range in all the styles and originality in their delivery.

Antonelli's Cheese Shop's John and Kendall

Now cheese is something that I love also, but admit having a pretty unsophisticated palate. The cheese tasting exposed me to many cheeses that I probably would not have purchased or sampled, and know that in our household would not have had any fans. Sorry John and Kendall, no judgement on your cheese, I enjoyed them all. Stinky cheese is not something I get to have very often at home. Thank you very much for broadening my tastes.