French Cheese and Beer

When: Wednesday, 27 July

Where: Jimmy's No. 43, 43 E. 7th Street
What:  $15 for 3 beers and 3 cheeses

To close out French Beer Month, Jimmy's No. 43 will be offering a menu pairing of 3 French beers and 3 French cheeses. We're thrilled to pair our beers with selections chosen by Anne Saxelby, one of our favorite cheesemongers in the city. Saxelby Cheesemongers specializes in domestic cheeses, primarily from the Northeast, but they've recently launched a line of French cheeses from noted affineur Hervé Mons who supports traditional and small-scale producers just like Anne does with her domestic selection and we do with our beers. It's a match made in beer-cheese heaven!

The pairings:

Pietra Colomba and Fromage du Maquis Corse - Colomba is a Corsican wit beer brewed with local wild herbs called "herbes du maquis" which add an herbal, woodsy quality to the aroma and flavor. The no-brainer pairing for this is Fromage du Maquis, a raw sheep's milk cheese also from Corsica. The rind is covered in herbes du maquis, giving the cheese notes of oregano, spruce, and fresh hay.

Theillier La Bavaisienne and Bleu d'Auvergne - La Bavaisienne is an amber bière de garde from a tiny farmhouse brewery in the north of France. It is earthy and complex with cellar notes, a big malt body, and flavors of caramel and dried fruit. Bleu d'Auvergne is a blue cheese made from raw cow's milk and is rustic and hearty, just like the beer it is paired with. The aroma and flavor of mushrooms are combined with hints of hazelnut and milk.

Thiriez Extra and Saint Nectaire - The Thiriez beers are hoppier and more Belgian-oriented than other beers of the region and the Extra, dry-hopped with the rare Bramling Cross, is effervescent and refreshing with some tartness. Saint Nectaire is a soft-rind, raw cow's milk cheese that is earthy and creamy and, depending on its age, just a bit farmy, just like the Extra.