Wisconsin is known as the Dairy State and the state where every small town has a bar on every corner, so it’s only natural for us to put cheese and beer together! It’s Wisconsin at its best.

Recently, West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe did just that at their Hops and Cheese Event held at the Milwaukee Public Market. They paired Wisconsin cheeses with what else? …Wisconsin brewed beer. It’s no surprise it was a sold out event and all proceeds went to Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force.

They paired:

• Carr Valley’s Airco, Casa Bolo Mellage, Creama Kasa, Benedictine, and Cranberry Chipotle with Lienenkugel Honey Weiss and Blue Moon Honeymoon Summer Ale
• Sierra Nevada Kellerweis and Summerfest Lager with Roth Kase’s (Sugar Brook Farms) Creamy Havarti, Roth Private Reserve, and Moody Blue
• Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Summer Ale with Red Barn rBGH-Free Heritage Weis Old-World Style Cheddar
• BelGioioso’s Aged Provolone and Peperoncino with Fixed Gear (an American Red Ale) and Local Acre Lager from Lakefront Brewery
• Seymour Dairy’s Ader Kase Reserve and Crocker Hill Organic, two blues, with Supper Club and I think Pale Ale from Capital Brewery.

To be honest, this was my first event of this type and I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot to record the individual beers down, so I am going by memory. Maybe I tasted a few too many.

Anyway, I was surprised to find out my favorite cheese for the night was Roth Kase’s Moody Blue. Whereas all the cheeses were tasty, I was just surprised that I liked a blue so much. I’ve never been much of a blues person, but Moody Blue with it’s delicate smoked flavor impacted my taste buds in a way I didn’t expect. I actually went back for seconds. It’s a good introduction to blue cheese and maybe someday, I will become a die hard blue cheese fan like so many others I know.

If you were at the event or even if you weren’t, which are your favorites? I’d love to hear from you.