Regional Treasures & Pairing Deluxe: Beer and cheese from the Kitzbühel district
The combination of cheese and wine is the first association for many. But the fact that many beer styles are wonderfully suitable for some possible combinations is only known to a few people so far.
For a long time, and in some cases still today, beer and cheese were and are products that are made by hand and need a certain amount of time to mature.
It is precisely this time and the dedication of the producers that is reflected in the incomparable taste of the products.
Because each region has different smells in the air, different conditions in the soil, and different light incidences, each region also has its own odor and flavor profile. In this case, it also makes sense to taste the products from the region in this region and to taste the context, so to speak.
An absolute do when it comes to beer and cheese pairing are regional partnerships.
That's why Diploma cheese sommelier Harald Weidacher and Diploma beer sommelier Victoria Strallhofer from Culinary Craft Tours in the following blog series taste through the regional offerings in the districts of Tyrol and present the best combinations.
With over 30 breweries of various sizes and over 100 different cheese producers (milk processing, direct marketers, alpine pastures), there are many opportunities for exciting and surprising pairings.
© TVB St. Johann in Tirol / Mirja Geh
For the start of this series, we go to the district of Kitzbühel.
This district is characterized by the beer of the St. Johanner brewery and is now an institution of the Huber Bräu in the center of the small town. The brewery dates back to 1727 and was even mentioned in records by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Since 1883, the brewery has been run by the fourth generation of the Huber family.
Even from afar, you can make out the Bierturm with the tower parlor on the top floor, from which you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. This brewery takes the slogan "The beer from here" very seriously. In order to ensure quality and regionality, the sales radius is very narrow. The numerous Huber Bräu fans in the Kitzbühel district have access to the ramp sale from the farm as well as the beer taxi , which is entrusted with the weekly delivery of the liquid treasures.
For this tasting we work with the following beer styles:
Meisterpils
Brewed with: Pilsner brewing malt, Tettnang aroma hops and brewing water Tastes: balanced, finely tart thanks to the hop flower, with fine-pored white foam
Alcohol: 4.9%
Original
Brewed with: Pilsner brewing malt, Tettnanger/Spalter Select aroma hops and brewing water
Tastes: soft and full-bodied, tasty, malty with a slight bitterness
Alcohol: 5%
Special
Brewed with: Pilsner brewing malt + caramel malt, Tettnanger/Spalter Select aroma hops and brewing water
Tastes: soft and full-bodied, tasty, malty with an elegant hop note
Alcohol: 5.4%
Brewed with: Pilsner brewing malt + wheat malt, Tettnanger/Spalter Select aroma hops and brewing water
Tastes: banana-like, balanced carbonation, refreshing
Alcohol: 5.2%
Augustine
Brewed with: Pilsner brewing malt + Munich brewing malt + light/dark caramel malt, Tettnanger/Spalter Select aroma hops and brewing water
Tastes: slightly full-bodied with a fine cocoa-like aroma, drinkable with a nice foam and subtle bitterness
Alcohol: 5%
Dark
Brewed with: Pilsner brewing malt + Munich brewing malt + dark caramel malt, Tettnanger/Spalter Select aroma hops and brewing water
Tastes: delicately tart and roasted aromatic, drinkable and refreshing thanks to balanced carbon dioxide
Alcohol: 5%
For the selection of cheeses, we have chosen the assortment of the "Wild cheesemaker" in Gasteig not far from St. Johann. In addition to their own cheeses, this dairy also carries products from Danzl Dairy and the Plangger Dairy from the Kitzbühel/Kufstein region, which we have also included in the tasting.
The heart of the Wilder Käser show dairy is the 500-year-old farmhouse with showroom, tasting room and farmer's shop in Gasteig not far from St. Johann in Tirol. This farmhouse was dismantled piece by piece from its old location in Ellmau and rebuilt together with a modern show dairy in Gasteig. Cheese lovers and connoisseurs can enjoy a small wonderland of local products that can be tasted directly on site. Cheesemaker Bernd, who practices his craft with "loaf and soul" and swears by the processing of hay milk, is supported by his wife Margit, a passionate cheese sommelière in sales.
This cheese dairy is known for its best-sellers, the "Little Stinker" and the "Big Stinker" represented in our tasting.
The dairy of Sebastian Danzl from Schwendt attaches particular importance to natural and traditional production in order to preserve the organic quality of its products in the best possible way. The success of this dairy is more than justified: in recent years, several medals have been received at the International Cheese Festival and the "Quality Tyrol" award, which is awarded jointly by the Province of Tyrol and Agrarmarketing Tirol, also adorns the walls of the cheese dairy.
From this dairy land the Hard cheese with fenugreek and the Semi-hard cheese with chives on our tasting plate.
Strictly speaking, we are no longer in the Kitzbühel district with the Käserei Plangger from Sebi near Niederndorf, but some of their cheeses came together so well in combination with those of the other cheese dairies that we still wanted to have them with us.
This family-run business is guided by the principles of unconditional quality and environmental awareness. Silage-free hay milk is used for cheese production, and the cheese is then made and refined according to traditional recipes.
The special feature: the Plangger cheese dairy has a rock cellar in which the cheese can develop its full aroma well.
Directly from this rock cellar land the varieties Mountain cheese and Semi-hard cheese with blue mold in our tasting.
The selected beer styles were individually combined and tasted with the selected cheeses in the inviting restaurant of the Wild Cheesemaker. In a direct comparison, Victoria and Harald found immediate favorites, which we would like to present to you below:
Wild Cheesemaker ́s Little Stinker
Mild Camembert with noble mold, 50% F.I.T., with longer maturation a light mushroom or mushroom aroma develops, creamy consistency
Optimal pairing:
Huber Bräu Helles Hefeweizen: the fruity aromas of Hefeweizen are reminiscent of a chutney and make this combination very attractive, the carbonation of the beer dances with the creaminess of the cheese, but with this pairing the taste of the cheese is gone very quickly
Huber Bräu Special: an all-round harmonious and beautifully balanced story, in the Huber Bräu Special the little stinker has found his life partner!
Wild Cheesemaker ́s Big Stinker
Soft cheese with red culture, 50% F.I.T., cheese is cared for several times by hand with salted water and red culture, tastes powerfully spicy and melts on the palate, the ripening game can still become more intense with a longer storage
Optimal pairing:
Huber Bräu Meisterpils: Admittedly, a combination with a Pils is always an exciting challenge due to the increased bitterness, but in Meisterpils the Great Stinker has found its master in the truest sense of the word. Both players don't give each other anything, but give each other a lot, the cheese keeps up aromatically with the pilsner and can present itself beautifully.
Huber Bräu Helles Hefeweizen: a kind of classic among beer-cheese combinations, but not for nothing - the top-fermented beer style with fruity aromas and pleasant carbonation combines with the spiciness of the cheese to create a wonderful flavor profile that inspires with every sip.
Danzl ́s Bio Bocksberger
Hard cheese with fenugreek, made by mountain cheese, made from hay milk, 45% F.I.T., refined with fenugreek seeds
Slightly nutty smell, the taste is reminiscent of lovage and bread spice
Optimal pairing:
Huber Bräu Augustinus: this pairing works very nicely, the light roasted malt aroma and the drinkability of the beer blend very well with the spicy taste of the fenugreek seeds
Huber Bräu Original: the beautiful distinctive malt body of the beer combines with the flavors of the cheese and rounds off the tasting experience with a slight bitterness
Danzl ́s Organic Alpine Chives Cheese
semi-hard cheese, 45% F.I.T., with cabbage chives native to the region; the chives are harvested by hand in the spring
Semi-hard cheese with red culture, the smell is reminiscent of fresh butter and yoghurt
Tip from Harald Weidacher:
Add this cheese to refine over Kasspatzln!
Optimal pairing:
Huber Bräu Dunkel: this is where the old adage "opposites attract" comes into play, a surprisingly balanced interplay of the various flavor components of roasted aromas and fresh buttery notes and definitely our favorite with this cheese.
Plangger ́s Organic Mountain Cheese
Matured for 9 months in the rock cellar, from hay milk, 50% F.I.T.
Spicy mountain cheese made from organic hay milk, full-bodied aroma, velvety finish
Nutty in taste, reminiscent of brown butter
Optimal pairing:
Huber Bräu Special: both aroma profiles work well together, even enhancing the taste
Huber Bräu Dunkel: in the dark, the cheese has a wonderfully harmonious companion thanks to the divided roasted aromas; this combination is ideal as a conclusion to a menu
Plangger ́s semi-hard cheese with blue mold
Cheese speciality with blue mould, strongly spicy, matured for 2 months,
50% F.I.T., creamy on the tongue and strong on the finish
Optimal pairing:
Huber Bräu Original: very harmonious, both players don't get in each other's way – each one works individually, but together they are a lot of fun
Huber Bräu Helles Hefeweizen: the Hefeweizen refreshes with a pleasant carbonated strand and balances the creaminess of the blue cheese wonderfully
The clear conclusion of this tasting:
We are absolutely thrilled by the variety of local cheese dairies and dairies. The quality and aroma profiles of the local breweries promise endless delicious combinations.
We are excited and very much looking forward to the upcoming blog series and the culinary discoveries in the respective Tyrolean regions.
Kurzporträts:
Victoria Strallhofer is a certified beer sommelière and founded Culinary Craft Tours. On her tours and workshops, she brings people closer to the variety of products of Tyrolean cuisine.
Her favourite beer style: Zwickl, preferably from Tyrol
Next projects: Expansion of tours within the various regions of Tyrol and establishment of a small catering
Harald Weidacher is a certified cheese sommelier and teaches at the tourism schools at the Wilder Kaiser in St. Johann in Tirol, course director of training cheese sommelier at schools University of Applied Sciences for Agra and Environment Ober St. Veit Vienna,
His favourite cheese: spicy, intense and, if possible, from Austria
Next projects: further tastings with Victoria ("beer and cheese"), cheese training for the consumer / end user, acquaintance of our wonderful Austrian cheese specialties
