Cheese and Beer

Bogart and Bacall. Difford and Tilbrook. Pencils and erasers. Beer and cheese. Some things just belong together, and C’est Cheese and Hollister Brewing Company set out to underline that point at the end of August with a series of tastings that paired their products in ways that made many a taste bud stand up and say, “Ahhh.” Here is the delicious foursome they offered:

Humboldt Fog and Hollister Hefeweizen

Humboldt Fog, a goat cheese with an attractive vegetable ash line in the middle, is about texture (somehow both creamy and slate-y) as much as flavor. Hollister’s Hefeweizen, done in the Bavarian style, is about lightness and yeasty fizz. A perfect picnic pair.

Garrotxa and Glen Annie Golden

Neither of these shine alone-Garrotxa is a fine Catalonian goat cheese, the Glen Annie a Belgian-style beer that brewer Eric Rose wishes were more tart-but together each elevates the other, bringing out the spice in the beer and the creaminess in the cheese.

Zamorano and the J (Smoked Hemp Beer)

Zamorano is sort of the more familiar Manchego on steroids-i.e., bolder, richer. The J is perhaps Hollister’s best creation, a clever mix of roasty-toasty malt and depth. Together they mirror each other’s complexities, leaving the eater in a hallway of endless possibility and : oh, that must be the J part :

Pittig Aged Gouda and the Pope IPA

Gouda gets a bad rap for the mediocre grocery store version but a real one like Pittig is a nutty, rich delight. Hollister’s India Pale Ale is not for the faint of tongue, as it’s a hoppy wonder, very much in the West Coast style.

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C’est Cheese is located at 825 Santa Barbara Street; call 965-0318. Hollister Brewing Company is located at 6980 Marketplace Drive, Goleta; call 968-2810.