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Beers with Mandy

August 28, 2020

Cheese and Beer Pairing Inspiration from the “Hills” of Vermont

I recently got the chance to talk to Oliva Haver from the quality assurance team at Jasper Hill Farm about all things cheesey. So when I decided to come back up to Vermont, I had my eye out for her cheese. 

I had my first taste of Jasper Hill at Hen of the Wood in Waterbury, Vermont and was instantly hooked. It was a blue with fudge-like texture that I haven’t found in blue cheese plus a more subdued funk and heaps of toasty nutty notes. I mean there was another cheese on the plate but I can’t even remember anything about it. That’s how good this blue is. 


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I asked our server about it and she said Jasper Hill’s Bayley Hazen blue is somewhat legendary in Vermont. It’s a many-multi-award winner because of its balanced flavor and that memorable texture.

The very next day I found Bayley Hazen at both The Butchery (one of my favorites parts of Stowe) and Commodities Natural Market. Of course, I was ready to go home and make a cheese plate that very moment! While walking around the store collecting all the elements to build out a board, I found Blake Hill Preserves plum preserve with port and anise. Sounds like a perfect pairing right? Well that’s because this preserve was developed specifically to pair with not just any blue, but Bayley Hazen. 


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It’s a pairing enthusiast’s dream, the perfect kind of collaboration: a preserves company and a cheesemaker! They developed a series of perfect matches for four of Jasper Hill’s most popular cheeses.

Now that Blake Hill and Jasper Hill did the work making the elements of a harmonious cracker, I just had to find the right beer. I already know I love barleywine with blue cheese so I went with Eleven Below from Four Quarters Brewery. It’s a 9% barleywine made with Vermont maple syrup and that little extra sweetness was just sublime with plum preserves. 


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Even if you don’t live in an area that gets Blake Hill, there is still a lot of inspiration to be gained from the pairings they developed. Orange and Whiskey Marmalade to pair with a cheddar? Can’t wait to try it. You can see all of the pairings here.

Now the real question: When will a brewery start developing beers specifically for one cheese?? I’m all in! 

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Filed Under: Serving Beer, Travel Tagged With: Beer, beer and cheese, blue cheese, cheese and beer, cheese pairing, cheese plate August 28, 2020

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Hi, I’m Mandy!

Welcome to my site! It's part beer-y travel diary, part homebrew experiment, and part a place for me to share my knowledge as a certified beer expert. As an Advanced Cicerone and national homebrew competition winner, I'm here to answer all your questions.

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