PORTLAND, Ore. –– Dec. 17, 2019 –– Looking for a last minute gift idea for the turophile (cheese lover) or faithful beer fan in your life? Cascade Brewing, a pioneer in the sour beer renaissance, is holding a sour beer and cheese pairing event on Saturday, Jan. 16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Cascade Brewing Barrel House at 939 SE Belmont St.

The evening will be hosted by beer expert Rich Higgins, one of only 18 Master Cicerones in the world and a certified sommelier. Stating that nothing pairs better with delicious farmstead cheeses than oak-aged sour beers, Higgins will showcase the interplay between Cascade’s world class beers and cheeses from Oregon and beyond.

“Wine and cheese can be enjoyable together, but often it’s a 1+1=2 pairing,” explained Higgins. “Cheese’s heft, sweetness, salt, and fat are absolutely transcendent with the right beers, and I can’t think of a better partner than Cascade’s Northwest sour ales.”

Tickets cost $36 and include a seminar and reception, four beer and cheese pairings, fruit and bread accoutrements, plus special, cellared bottle pours during the reception. Additionally, attendees will go home with a Cascade tasting goblet. During the reception, attendees will meet and chat with Higgins and Kevin Martin, Cascade’s Director of Brewery Operations, while enjoying aged selections from Cascade’s cellar. Tickets are available at http://richhiggins.com/events-classes/cascade.

The Pairing Menu
Cambozola, a soft ripened Bleu-Brie from Germany, paired with Manhattan NW, a blend of sour quad and blond ales aged in bourbon and wine barrels for up to 24 months with sour pie cherries and apricot noyaux.

The Smokin’ Goat, a semi-soft goat cheese from the Canary Islands, paired with Framblanc, a blend of sour blond ales aged for up to 14 months in oak wine barrels with more than 3,500 pounds of white raspberries.

Briar Rose Honnalee, a semi-soft washed rind organic cow cheese from Oregon, paired with Kriek, a blend of sour red ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 17 months with Bing and sour pie cherries.

Cougar Gold, an aged white cheddar from Washington, paired with Sang du Chêne, a showcase of sour strong blond and triple ales aged in three large format oak casks: foudres, puncheons and hogsheads.

Higgins is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher of all things fermentation and flavor. In addition to his Cicerone and sommelier titles, he is a former San Francisco brewmaster, a consultant to restaurants and breweries, and a world traveler. To become a Master Cicerone, he passed the beer world’s hardest test in 2010.

About Rich Higgins
Rich Higgins is all things beer: brewmaster, beer travel operator, author, public speaker, and a consultant to breweries and restaurants. He is one of 18 Master Cicerones in the world, and additionally is a Certified Sommelier. He runs Beer Immersions educational beer tours of Belgium and Germany. Educational offerings include his organized approach to blind beer tasting, the Deductive Beer Tasting Method, as well as his online Video Prep Course for the Certified Cicerone Exam. He teaches public classes, offers industry training, and is a public speaker and coordinator of events around the world.