Brick cheese is a Wisconsin original, developed by John Jossi in the late 1800’s as a drier, less pungent alternative to Limburger. The Wider’s have been making brick cheese the old school way for three generations; Joe Widmer still presses the cheese with the same bricks his grandfather used!

Widmer’s Cheese Cellars also produces a mild, un-aged, as well as versions that include garnishes; all great cheeses! However, the pairing here centers around the funky pungent qualities that only come with age. To that end, a mild blue cheese or a soft bloomy rind cheese would result in a more similar pairing than other forms of brick.

Aroma: Medium-high musty cellar, low toast with a hint of caramel and very low butter.

Flavor: Low milky sweetness quickly gives way to medium-low musty cellar and very low fruity lactic sourness, a low bitterness emerges and eventually takes over at medium intensity.  Medium bitterness lingers with low grass and musty cellar notes with a very low hint of butter.

Texture: Semi-firm, creamy and chewy.

Impact: Medium-high; medium with the beer.

Pairing: The bitterness of the cheese is tamed by the beer and it has a lasting half-and-half sweetness in even balance with medium grass and clean cellar complexity; aftertaste it medium rich butter with low toffee and cellar. The beer’s hop aroma seems much brighter against the musty cheese. The malt flavor seems sweeter with a medium-low molasses sweetened bread quality and is in even balance with the bitterness. The pear ester is hidden and the grapefruit hop flavor comes to the forefront with low pine and floral notes supporting it. The beer seems crisper with the cheese and the impact of the cheese is reduced as its bitter edge is checked by the beer.