May 21, 2001 -- As much as I spend time conspiring to devise delicious food and drink pairings, I find myself being regularly outwitted by fate. I'll agonize over which beers or wines to serve with each course of a dinner I host for friends, only to discover that the best match of the evening involves a completely unexpected drink one of my guests brought with them. Or I'll studiously plan a cheese and beer tasting and find that the best combination was the first cheese with the last beer. And every time I am utterly delighted.

So it was this evening when I opened up a piece of Cashel Blue I had bought earlier in the day. I had not planned to pair Ireland's most famous and glorious cheese with any specific beer, nor had I specifically thought to take a sip of the beer I was drinking just before I had my first taste of the blue-veined wonder. But I did. And it was fabulous.

First, a little background on the Cashel Blue. A farmhouse cow's milk cheese from Beechmount in south-central Ireland, the Cashel is a raw milk cheese that dates from about the mid-1980's. In its short history, this heavily veined, creamy masterpiece has won numerous admirers from among the ranks of dedicated cheese aficionados, including the author of the Cheese Primer (Workman Publishing, 1996), Steve Jenkins.

And now, the beer. What happened to be in my glass was the Imperial Porter from Mt. Hood, Oregon's Full Sail Brewing Company, a strong (7% by volume) and relatively full-bodied interpretation of the Baltic porter style. The sweetness of the ale coupled with its rich roastiness and slightly oily mouthfeel was the perfect complement to the cheese. As much as I had enjoyed the beer in prior tastings, it soared to greater heights alongside the melt-in-your-mouth Cashel Blue.

If you can get both the cashel and the Imperial Porter in your area, I strongly recommend that you go out today and buy both to sample together. If you can't get one or the other, I'd suggest as substitutes any sweetish, ample-bodied porter and stout of above-average strength and a piece of good Gorgonzola.

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