CheeseSmith & AleSmith Beer Pairing

If you live in San Diego, you've probably heard of AleSmith Brewing. Founded in 1995, AlesSmith is one of the older craft breweries in San Diego and helped establish the currently thriving beer culture. Now what you may not have known is that Peter (owner and CEO) has decided to start making his own cheese! After four years of studying cheese-making techniques, getting his licenses and passing regulations, he finally opened Cheesesmith, which has recently celebrated its 1 year anniversary! I was lucky enough to be able to attend his most recent cheese and beer pairing- check out my video below:

Upon arrival, all 5 cheeses and beers were placed in front of us, along with a menu. The plate of cheeses also included jam, a dried apricot, chocolate, nuts and an edible flower.

After we sat down, Peter began telling us his story and the background of his cheeses. He briefly explained each pairing as we went around tasting each. I had a lot of fun playing around with the honeycomb:

What I loved about this event was that it felt more like an intimate gathering of friends than a large, crowded corporate event. Everyone had the chance to ask Peter questions or make comments. Though I'm not a beer or cheese connoisseur, I greatly enjoyed coming up with my own flavor combinations; it felt like my own little adventure. All the cheeses were spectacular and I can't wait to buy some CheeseSmith cheeses as they are certainly have a flair that you don't typically find in grocery stores. I'm going to be honest with you, I was completely smashed by the end, which goes to show how good the beer was (I just couldn't stop drinking them! ;) )

Overall, this event was well worth it- you receive an enormous amount of beer (look at those pours!) enough cheese to enjoy (though you're left wanting more!) and a great time with strangers that end up feeling like family.