America is a product of its heritage. A hodge-podge of hundreds of different ethnicities, religions and beliefs. The same can be said of the beers and cheeses being produced in the US. Interestingly enough, only a few true originals can be boasted of in either category despite the thousands of cheese makers and brewers operating here today. Americans have taken the recipes our grandfathers and great grandfathers brought with them and used them to keep in touch with something important - our history. There are niches and markets carved in almost every city and state across the US, allowing us to reach back in time and taste a little bit more of home. While a lot of our food and drink culture comes from our ancestors, the one binding tie that makes all the great things in our country unequivocally American is our desire and ability to make it bigger and better.
For instance, take Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA I'm drinking and the Fiscalini 18 month bandaged cheddar I'm eating right now. Both inspired by very traditional British fare. They are proudly brewed in Delaware and hand made in California, respectively. If you've never had this big beer, you're in for a surprise. This beer is continuously hopped for 90 minutes, but it's not very dry and overly puckery. This beer is balanced with a generous amount of barley and a solid malt presence. At 9% abv, it's not the kind of beer you should drink by the case, but if you want to sit back and relax with a well-crafted beer, this one's for you.
The question now is; what can be paired with a beer like that? One of my favorite is a big, unabashedly sharp and complex farmhouse cheddar. There might not be a better one for than Fiscalini. It delivers in such a big way that you'll know a good sharp cheese once you taste it. Fiscalini cheddar is much more than a one-note cheese. You get all the earthy, leathery and faintly herb and garlic notes you'd expect from a farmhouse cheddar. There's also a hint of sweetness before you feel the sides of your tongue start to tingle from the bite.
A notable fact about Fiscalini is that in 2007, it won "Best Mature Cheddar" category at the World Cheese Awards in London. This is a contest of cheddars held in the country that invented cheddar! While I have the utmost respect for cheeses from other countries, these days I'm just as likely to recommend a great American cheese, as I am a European classic. America is after all a country of dreamers and innovators, and I invite you to come to Di Bruno's and see just what America has to offer you!
To receive 20% off Fiscalini Cheddar online, enter the promotion code fisca1. To place an order click here.
Click on the image below for a printable PDF coupon to save 20% off Fiscalini Cheddar at the 1730 Chestnut Street & 9th Street locations.
