Chimay, You've Tried the Beer Now Try the Cheese

Or if you're underage you've not tried either and you're at square one. Still not a bad place to be, though there aren't many pop-infused cheeses out there. Good thing too, I don't want orange drink anywhere near my dairy.
Chimay is a rather bizarre cheese, a washed rind product created by Trappist monks in Belgium that I've found to blur the lines between designations. It's not a brie, sure, but then it's similar in ways and different in others. It's rubbed down with none other than Chimay beer and the result is really rather striking.

Origin: Belgium
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: On the scale of weeks
Notes: On the soft end of semi-soft thanks to the regular beer baths, and yes that also means it's a bit of a stinker.
Thoughts: A tasty cheese with a hard to place texture, this particular “drunk cheese” does not have an especially strong resemblance to the beer’s flavor but makes up for it in a big way. The effect of the washing process is hugely evident in the meaty, rich, creamy paste and it breaks down so easily on the palate you wouldn't even know you were eating anything at all. This salty and hearty cheese, while perhaps not refined, is rustic and bold in the best of ways and is mouth watering at room temperature. Eat it with a Belgium beer, perhaps even a Chimay, and say thanks to the monks who made it by hand for you.


Caution
Unlike Belgian beer glasses, not every Belgian cheese has it's own special serving plate. Just think how cool it would be if they did, though.