Porter Cheddar, They Already Paired it For You

Once again we come to a "drunk cheese", but for this one the creators took the whole process one step further. Not finding it enough to simply make a cheese and then immerse that cheese in alcohol, the makers of Cahill's Porter Cheddar took it upon themselves to add even more beer. And thank goodness they did. In fact they decided it'd be a good idea to include layers of Guinness porter inbetween the layers of curd. The result is pretty intense, and while it may not be a favorite it's certainly a novel flavor and one that will always get the attention of your party-goers.

Origin: Ireland
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetable
Affinage: 6-8 months, I'd guess
Notes: Guinness is pretty delicious stuff any way you slice it. Sure it's not the best porter in the world, probably not even the best Irish beer, but it's reliable and you can find it everywhere. Even in cheese. Here it has the added value of not actually having any discernible alcohol content, so eat to your heart's content and then drive home happy and sober.

Thoughts: A very meaty flavor, where both the cheddar and beer flavors mix comfortably without one crowding the other out. Tangy and distinct, the flavor of the beer really comes on strong and is unmistakable but the cheddar also has a strong enough kick to compete. This particular cheese is a victim of the short time high temp pasteruziation method (booooo) but to be honest it's such a hearty and heavily altered-flavor cheese that you'd be hard-pressed to detect any nuance in the milk beneath the salt and beer anyways. 

Let's see here what else....... It won't get you drunk, at least not before you become physically sick by eating a wheel or two (think many many pounds of cheese) because this cheese is, well, a little heavy. In the end this cheese does not make my favorite list because, well, it's just a little over the top. The beer flavor comes across so strong that, while you can still taste the sharp tang of cheese, you certainly couldn't tell if that cheese had any quality in the first place, and once the novelty of a beer-and-cheddar flavor wears off you don't find yourself craving it, or at least I don't. It's a great snacking cheese and certain to turn heads given its beautiful marbled look, but lacks character or depth.   

Caution

If you are underage and eat lots of these "drunk" cheeses and make alcohol jokes, your head will explode. If you are of age and eat lots of these "drunk" cheeses and make alcohol jokes, your head will explode.