If you’re anything like us, sipping and snacking in your backyard on a sunny day sounds like absolute craft beer heaven. And it’s because of that desire (and our need to be experts in all thing craft beer), we put together a little “How To” blog for ya. So, let’s get into it. We’re talking Charcuterie, we’re talking Beer, we’re talking Charcuterie with Beer. Get ready…
Also, before we forget. It’s "'shaar-koo-tree”. We can’t write a “How To” without including that. We just can’t.
At Old Yale, we’re always looking for ways to elevate your experience with our hand-crafted, award-winning beer, not just in the Tasting Room but at home. As much as we’d love it if you joined us for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert and your late night snack, we know that you probably need to eat a meal at home every once in a while, so we decided to put together a list of the ultimate charcuterie and beer pairings for your next night in, picnic or backyard hang….
So, let’s kick things off with the “popular“ Charcuterie choices (you scrolled up to make sure you said it right, didn’t you?)
Brie Cheese:
Beer Pairing: Raspberry Lemon Berliner Weisse
You simply CANNOT have a Charcuterie board without some rich cheesy goodness. And let us tell you that a creamy (we mean CREAMY) Brie or Camembert with your favourite crackers and a light, tart and fruity Raspberry Lemon Berliner Weisse fits that bill perfectly. Pro Tip: Heat that Brie up… a creamy, rich cheese is even better when it’s melted and gooey…
Goat Cheese:
Beer Pairing: Moon Dance Mango Wheat
One cheese? You thought we were only going to include ONE type of cheese on this board? If it was up to us, this board would be cheese and cheese alone, so of course we’re going to include Goat Cheese in this list. AND what better beer to sip on while you snack on Goat Cheese and crackers than our smooth and tropical (and award-winning!) Moon Dance Mango Wheat.
Almonds and/or Walnuts
Beer Pairing: Poolside Peach Tea Radler
It’s Summer, it’s sunny out and your sitting on your patio, there’s NO way you don’t have (or want to have) a Poolside Peach Tea Radler in your hand. Well if you’re looking for the perfect item on the charcuterie board to snack on while you sip this Radler, look no further than the Almonds and/ or Walnuts, both will do the trick nicely! The crisp, light and refreshing Radler with the sweet, tangy and sometime bitter flavours of those yummy nuts are just *chefs kiss*
Prosciutto
Beer Pairing: West Coast IPA
Bold hoppy goodness meets delicate salty sweetness. That’s our hop forward West Coast IPA paired with Prosciutto, an absolute must for your charcuterie board. Pro Tip: Roll up the pieces of your Prosciutto to save space… plus it looks pretty!
Okay, now that we’ve hit the faves or dare we say obvious choices, let’s talk about the controversial ones… we’re looking at you Bleu Cheese…
Warm Olives
Beer pairing: Off Trail Pale Ale
These are an absolute staple… a controversial staple. BUT we kinda feel like even the olive haters understand why they should be on the board. We like a good mix of green and kalamata, the garlicky the better especially when paired with the perfectly balanced, hop forward and refreshing flavours of our Off Trail Pale Ale.
Figs
Beer pairing: Black Currant Ginger Sour
Do Figs belong on this controversial list? We’re not totally convinced, BUT what we know for sure is that the sweet and almost juiciness of these pair SO well with the deep dark fruit flavours and earthiness of our Black Currant Ginger Sour.
Artichokes
Beer pairing: Knotty Blonde Ale
A mild nutty flavour and a slight bitterness with a little crisp, clean & straightforward beer? Tell us you’re not intrigued. We get it if you’re not a fan… you’re probably not a fan of Brussel Sprouts or maybe even asparagus either… but if you love Artichokes like we do OR are willing to give it a second shot, add ‘em to your charcuterie board and enjoy them with a Knotty Blonde Ale!
Pickled Green Beans
Beer pairing: Off Trail Pale Ale
If it were up to us, we’d pickle everything at Old Yale… okay maybe not everything. But come on, have you tried our Deep Fried Pickles? We just love pickles. Just like the deep fried goodness of our house pickle coins, these pickled green beans are paired with our perfectly balanced & refreshing Off Trail Pale Ale.
Bleu Cheese
Beer pairing: West Coast IPA
We saved you for last, Bleu Cheese. People either love you passionately or absolutely hate your stinkin (just sayin’) guts. But perhaps those nay sayers just haven’t enjoyed you with the hoppiness of our West Coast IPA. The bold and bitterness of the IPA takes that sharpness (OH SO sharpness) of the Bleu Cheese. So give it another try, you know you wanna.
Now that we’ve covered the hot topics. Let’s dive into more of our favourites…
Honey Roasted Ham
Beer pairing: Head Shaker Honey Lager
Bet we know what you’ve been thinking since we covered Prosciutto… “Where’s all the meat on this board?”. Well we’ve got you covered with this pairing. A little Honey Roasted Ham with a little Head Shaker Honey Lager. Now you’re probably thinking… “Mhmmm Honey? Honey Lager? Seems a little obvious"… that may be the case, but when you try the sweetness of the Ham with the crisp and mellow Lager, you’ll realize there was NO other choice.
Hummus
Beer pairing: River Valley Amber
Can’t have a charcuterie board without a little hummus. Whether you’re dipping into that hummus with a cracker, chip or veggie, you gotta pair it with the classic balance in our River Valley Amber. The smoothness of the malty beer matches the smoothness of the Hummus so well.
Honey & Crackers
Beer pairing: Knotty Blonde Ale
Hah! See, actual Honey and it’s NOT paired with our Head Shaker Honey Lager. Nope not this time… though we’re not convinced that wouldn’t be delicious. Nope, for this pairing, we’re going with our crisp, clean and straightforward Knotty Blonde Ale. There’s something about the subtle tropical fruit flavour in this classic brew that pairs so well with the sweetness of honey. Give it a try!
Monterey Jack Cheese
Beer pairing: Off Trail Pale Ale
Told you there would be more cheese on this board. Move over creamy Brie and Goat, we’re craving some buttery, mildness with a little bit of tang and a perfectly balanced and hop forward Off Trail Pale Ale. Simple as that.
Buttered Soft Pretzel
Beer pairing: Fraser Valley Lager
Now what kind of craft brewery would be if we didn’t suggest including a soft buttered pretzel on your charcuterie board?? A pretty terrible one, especially if we didn’t tell you to make sure you have an AMPLE amount of beer mustard to dip that pretzel into. Just to cover our bases here… we suggest it. We HIGHLY suggest it. And we also highly suggest you enjoy this snack with our new, crisp, light and easy-drinking Fraser Valley Lager. Yum!
Raspberries
Beer pairing: Sasquatch Stout
One might assume that we’d pair some fresh raspberries with our light, tart and fruity Raspberry Lemon Berliner Weisse. Well if one did that, one would be wrong. While that would likely be delicious, the ideal pairing here is actually all the chocolate, espresso and mysterious goodness of our award-winning Sasquatch Stout. Give it a try and tell us we’re wrong… we dare you!
Red Pepper Jelly
Beer pairing: Moon Dance Mango Wheat
If you have Brie, Camembert, Goat cheese, Prosciutto and Crackers on your charcuterie board and don’t have Red Pepper Jelly, well then you crazy. And if you aren’t enjoying the sweet and spicy flavours of this jelly without a smooth and tropical Moon Dance Mango Wheat in your hand… then you’re even crazier. It’s practically the perfect pairing.
Salami
Beer pairing: Gin Fizz Citrus Sour
Told you we had the meat part of this board covered. Gotta have a little Salami in the mix and you gotta have a little Gin Fizz Citrus Sour in there too, especially together. The light smoky flavour and subtle spice of the salami with the refreshingly tart of our Gin Fizz Citrus Sour is *another chefs kiss*.
Okay, there you have it. The perfect, dare we same dream, charcuterie and beer pairing list. We hope this “How To” inspires you to explore new flavours and new beers….
Seriously though, write these down or take a screenshot before you head out to Local Harvest, Hofstede’s Country Barn and Fraser Valley Meats, you’re friends, family and your taste buds will thank you…