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The Wedge Festival 2009
On October 3rd, 28 artisan cheesemakers from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Northern California gathered together in Portland to celebrate the glories of handcrafted cheese at The Wedge Festival. 8,000+ lucky people joined the festivities! Even better, the cheese gods cooperated and brought us glorious sunshine for most of the event.
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The Wedge cheesemaking demonstrations were especially popular. In the morning, Claudia Lucero from Urban Cheesecraft showed the audience how to make queso blanco. Later on in the day, Marc Bates (former head of WSU Creamery) demonstrated how to make fresh ricotta while Chef Kristen Murray whipped up a delicious dessert using the fresh cheese. Revelers also packed the pairing seminars, learning the ins and outs of pairing beer and cheese, creating a cheese plate and pairing spirits such as rum and gin with cheese.
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Thanks to everyone who joined us for this great celebration of regional artisan and farmstead cheeses!
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Fall is a Good Time for Beer & Cheese!
The combination of wine and cheese tends to get all of the attention, but beer and cheese also make a great match. As Janet Fletcher points out in this article, the fruit and tannins in wine tend to contrast sharply with cheese, while beer's flavors offer more potential for a favorable alliance.
A good beer/cheese pairing is one in which the flavors of both the beer and the cheese complement one another. While that may sound abstract, you will notice immediately when you try a bad pairing - all sorts of bitter, strange flavors will flood your palate. Great combinations produce harmony...and remember, if you like it, it works no matter what anyone else says.
I particularly like dark beer (stout or porter) paired with strong blue cheese like Rogue Creamery Crater Lake Blue. If that's a bit much for you, try a hoppy IPA with an aged cheddar or Willamette Valley Cheese Co. Gouda with a pale ale. Experimentation is part of the fun, so give beer and cheese a try sometime!
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Featured Cheese
Willapa Hills Two Faced Blue
 Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheese in Doty, Washington (outside of Chehalis) makes lovely sheep's milk, cow's milk and mixed milk cheeses. I'm really excited about their Two Faced Blue, so called because it's made from a mix of sheep and cow's milk. The result is a creamy and intense blue cheese with tart carmel undertones. This cheese was a big hit at the recent Wedge Festival in Portland; in fact, it was so popular owners Stephen Hueffed and Amy Turnbull sold out of it completely! I'm also looking forward to the longer-aged Two Faced Blue Saggio, which will be available in a few months.
Willapa Hills cheeses are available at a number of farmers markets in both Oregon and Washington. See their website for a complete list of retail outlets, or you can also buy online directly from the farm.
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Home Cheesemaking Resources
More and more people are becoming inspired to try their hand at making cheese at home. If you've been bitten by the cheesemaking bug, here are a few places to purchase all of the products you'll need to get started: online, try Urban Cheesecraft or New England Cheesemaking Co. Kookoolan Farms in Yamhill, Oregon sells cheesemaking supplies on site as well as offering a variety of cheesemaking classes. In Seattle, check out The Cellar Homebrew on Greenwood Ave. N.; they offer how-to classes as well. And for a complete list of cheesemaking classes all over the Pacific Northwest, see my Cheese Events calendar here.
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Thanks for reading!
Tami Parr
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