Funky Cheese & Organic IPA
Every time I’m near a well stocked cheese counter, I poke around, looking for an elusive round of Cowgirl Creamery’s Sir Francis Drake. This rare cheese is brought about by accident. When a batch of Mt. Tam doesn’t set correctly (or something – I don’t entirely understand it, and the Cowgirl Website doesn’t offer any clues) the cheese is washed in Beaume de Venise (a fortified wine) and finished with a free currents on top.
The resulting cheese has the creaminess of Mt. Tam, but with a funky edge – not a harsh as Red Hawk, but with a slight briniess that everyone says reminds them of the sea (i agree.)
But what to drink with it?
Luckily for me, one of my favorite pours at the SF Beer Week Opening Gala has just appeared in bottles: Napa Smith‘s Organic IPA.
Organic hops are a difficult ingredient, which is one of the reasons you don’t see many Organic IPAs on the market. But here, brewmaster Don Barkley has created a unique beverage – with a definite hop aroma, but not the one most of us expect. Gone is the citrusy and piny aromas of most west coast style IPAs. Instead, this heady brew has a much more floral, aromatic quality, backed by just a hint of alcohol heat. This is one food friendly IPA.
I often recommend Napa Smith as a great starting place for wine drinkers interested in beer. Their classic, balanced approach is easy to get along with. Even their label reflects an old school approach to brewing, one of restraint and confidence is subtle balance.
Against this cheese, the beer was a great foil. Besides offering a palate cleansing lift on the tongue, it bring out the earthy characteristics in the cheese, and emphasized the floral qualities of the funk it brought with it. Where a traditional IPA might have run right over this cheese, this more nuanced delicate beer struck just the right chord.
Tags: cowgirl creamery, napa smith
March 5th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Why is it so difficult to grow organic hops? That cheese sounds really good. Do they ever sell it on their website or only at local cheese shops?
March 5th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
I think it’s because hops are grown from root cuttings, not seed. Cuttings are difficult to have certified OG, because you aren’t growing a brand new plant. You can buy non-certified hop cuttings and grow them organically, as I do, but the USDA’s definition of what is “organic” is very specific.
March 5th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
I don’t think it’s so much that organic hops are difficult to grow as much as get a hold of.
As Marleigh mentioned, the requirements to meet USDA certification for Organic are strict. This means a grower has to take the necesary steps to ensure they meet the requirements.
Secondly, pests and mildews are notorious problems with hops. Organics hops are especially susceptible, leading to lower yields per acre and therefore higher prices.
Lastly, without demand, you can’t charge the higher price, meaning you’re less likely to take the necessary steps to grow a product that you you run a risk of seeing less yield than you had initially hoped for.
That said, with more organic breweries popping up, the demand is rising and the selection of organic hops is improving. As more varieties of organic rhizomes become available the availability of hop driven organic beers will also improve.
March 5th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Thanks to both Marleigh and Mario for chiming in.
What i’m still unclear on is that of the organic hops that exist, none of them seem to be the west coast, citrusy and pine variety. Is it that the controlled and own strains like that (simcoe, amarillo, cascade, chinook, centennial) aren’t available? or is it that the organic process doesn’t lend itself toward those types of characteristics?
for the record, this is my favorite response so far: http://twitter.com/pmbuko/status/10046618125
March 5th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Jesse – as to your last question, the big and new hop varieties are proprietary – the new guys like Citra are heavily guarded by the powers that be (the Ralphs). You’re also correct in that some of the super AA varieties encourage more troubles – pests, mildew – and require more attention, or a greater expectation of loss. Finally, hops are changing so fast right now… the only NorCal commercial hop farm is a one-acre organic operation. Many of the newer varieties just don’t seem to do so well there (Newcastle, Ca), then again the low AA aroma hops don’t either. Nuggets, Chinook and Cascades all do great, however.
There’s some good info on caring for hops on http://www.Freshops.com – based in Oregon. This can explain some of the issues hops have.
March 5th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
There are a lot of proprietary hops, but Cascade, Centennial and Chinook are easy to get ahold of for organic growing. I have Cascade and Kent Golding, and I wasn’t even looking very hard to find those.
The availabilty problem you see, Jesse, would seem to stem from all of the hop-growing issues cited above, combined with the money and time needed for USDA organic certification. There probably just aren’t enough organic farms out there yet to provide the supply.
March 10th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Great post – just discovered this cheese a couple of weeks ago and it won me over.
I like pairing the Red Hawk with a nice Vouvray, which I think would go nicely with the Sir Frances Drake as well – they usually have a certain richness that matches the the cheese. Although, I’m sure you’re looking for a beer variety as an answer. =)
March 11th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Jesse – as to your last question, the big and new hop varieties are proprietary – the new guys like Citra are heavily guarded by the powers that be (the Ralphs). You're also correct in that some of the super AA varieties encourage more troubles – pests, mildew – and require more attention, or a greater expectation of loss. Finally, hops are changing so fast right now… the only NorCal commercial hop farm is a one-acre organic operation. Many of the newer varieties just don't seem to do so well there (Newcastle, Ca), then again the low AA aroma hops don't either. Nuggets, Chinook and Cascades alk do great, however.
There's some good info on caring for hops on http://www.Freshops.com – based in Oregon. This can explain some of the issues hops havw.;
March 12th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Sir Francis Drake happens when the “bloom” doesn’t set properly on Mt. Tam. You know how Mt. Tam is all silky smooth and soft when it’s perfect? That’s the bloomy rind that grows during the six weeks of aging –it comes from the culture in the cheese. And sometimes it simply doesn’t work or gets slimy instead of silky–I think it is often a humidity issue.
I suspect that SFD has been in even rarer supply than ever because of the new cheesemaking facility in Petaluma. Better equipment and aging rooms means fewer “non-bloomers”.
I thought this last batch was a bit young. I aged a round of it in the bottom drawer of our fridge for a few weeks and Joe and I had the pleasure of polishing it off in Anderson Valley’s tap room last weekend. Nice (though it stunk up the car).