Tag Archives: beverage

Queso Diego 10th Anniversary Virtual Celebration

Please join us to celebrate 10 years of Queso Diego with a CHEESE & MUSIC PAIRING, Tuesday, February 16, 6:30pm

We will be pairing the cheeses listed below with different genre of music to discover how the music impacts the taste, smell, and/or sensation of cheese. Several genres of music will be played for each cheese, including at least one from the country of origin for each cheese. Much like different wines, music can change the tasting profile of cheese.

Here’s how it works:

You obtain one, two, three, or all four of the cheeses (from your cheese cave, refrigerator, or local cheese shop).
You obtain one bottle of bubbly, after all this is our anniversary and traditionally, it is “bubbly and cheese” to celebrate. If desired, you acquire other liquid refreshments you’d like to enjoy during the pairing (some general and specific, non-alcoholic and alcoholic recommendations for each cheese are listed at the bottom, if you need some ideas).
Optional: Headphones/ear buds – wearing headphones/ear buds helps you focus on the music and blocks out background noise in your environment (e.g., sounds of traffic, barking dogs, sounds of refrigerator).
We supply the music, pairing presentation, and polling questions.

The Cheeses*

FRENCH BRIE
SPANISH MANCHEGO (aged 6 mo)
ITALIAN PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO
AMERICAN (USA) AGED CHEDDAR (3 – 5 years)

*Note: The countries listed for each cheese are commonly associated with the style. Feel free to vary, as needed or desired. For example, you could get a brie-style cheese from Germany or Vermont. Work with your local cheesemonger/cheese shop (e.g. Smallgoods and Venessimo).

Pairing Ideas**

FRENCH BRIE – Champagne, Pellegrino (w/lime), cider from Normandy, Saison or other farmhouse beer

SPANISH MANCHEGO (aged 6 mo) – Merlot, Green Tea, Spanish Sidra Cider, Nut Brown Ale, Tawny Port, Sherry, amber spirit (aka aged)

ITALIAN PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO – Champagne, Merlot, Chardonnay, Amber Ale, Moretti or Peroni beer

AMERICAN (USA) AGED CHEDDAR (3 – 5 years) – Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Black Tea, 2 Towns Bad Apple Cider, Sherry, Stout, Alaskan or Stone Smoked Porter, German Rauchbier, Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale, Anchor Steam Beer

**The celebration will be focused on cheese and music pairings (i.e., beverage pairings optional)

A Zoom link was sent to the club email list. If you didn’t receive it, contact the officers.

Queso Diego October Virtual Meeting Announcement

Back by popular demand, we are having another pairing (Whoo Hoo!); this time we’ve expanded it to include meat. Our tour guides for this pairing event will be no other than Jenny and Mike Eastwood of Smallgoods during the October QD meeting (zoom info at the bottom). As many of you know, Jenny is a Certified Cheese Professional and together, Jenny and Mike are the cheesemonger and meatmonger (is that a real word?) of Smallgoods (and owners). They are well versed in pairings and pre-COVID were doing pairings around town at the different wine and beer establishments. Check out some of the pairing plates that they prepare weekly on facebook, https://www.facebook.com/smallgoodsUSA. They will discuss the individual cheeses and meats and how they pair together and with your beverage of choice(s). You will hear about the textures, aromas, flavor profiles, etc. and some interesting tidbits about their sources.

The plan is to have four cheeses and two cured meats. Below are the cheeses and suggested pairings. Most of the pairings will probably go more with beers but a few alternate options have been included for those that may prefer a different beverage. As before, we will each find our own beverage (places to look are in your frig, “cellar,” local wine, beer, spirit store). There are no rules, so if your beverage of choice is not listed, bring your favorite beverage(s).

Cheeses and Suggested Beverages :

– Ashed Chevre – Rose? something bubbly?
– Aged raw goat milk tomme (dry & crumbly) – Cider & Ale’s
– Aged raw cow milk Gouda (crunchy & butterscotch) – Stouts & Porters
– Aged cow milk Cheddar (big, rich, nutty) – Ciders & IPA’s

Oh, can it be Tuesday, yet? I can almost taste the cheese……………

So, where’s the meat?? The meats are a surprise but will play well with beers & ciders (and the cheeses) – Fear not! It’s not mystery meat; the meats will be revealed during the meeting though you can look at them and guess when you pick up your plates 😉.

So, here’s how it will work:

Beverages – members provide their own (see recommended beverages above for the selected cheeses)

Cheese and Meat Plates –

Cheese and Meat plates for members are $15, a 25% discount off the regular price (club is covering the other portion).
Members will pick up PRE-ORDERED (see below) cheese/meat plates at Smallgoods (7524 La Jolla Boulevard La Jolla, CA 92037) on Saturday (10am – 5pm), Sunday (10am – 2pm [CLOSES AT 2pm]), or Tuesday (10am – 5pm). *
It is super easy to get to their shop; on the weekends quickest to go into La Jolla by around 10:30am and on Tuesday between 10 – 11:30am and 2-3pm.
DIRECTIONS: From I-5 or 52, take La Jolla Parkway; keep straight on to Torrey Pines Road; Left on Girard Avenue; Right on Pearl Street; and Right on La Jolla Boulevard

** Pre-Orders are now closed **

Queso Diego November Meeting Announcement

The November Queso Diego meeting will focus on cheese and beverage pairings. With the holidays quickly approaching, it’s a great time to start thinking about sharing cheeses with family and friends. For this meeting, we are going to explore pairing cheeses with beer, wine, mead, cider, liquor, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. We encourage everyone to bring a cheese and/or a beverage to pair with and a favorite pairing would be even better. We will share our pairings and mix-and match to find new combinations. We will then have some discussion about our favorites and what worked well for pairings.

The meeting will be held at 6:30pm on Tues, November 20 at City Farmers Nursery (http://www.cityfarmersnursery.com).  Map of parking and the meeting location: http://bit.ly/RtI8rX.

Please RSVP using the link below so we can get an accurate head count: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDBJV0VoZkpLbXozRHJKTThURWFpZWc6MA#gid=0

Agenda:

  • Free-form cheese and beverage pairings
  • Club business – treasurer updates, future meetings, etc.
  • Discussion about favorite pairings
  • Additional time to revisit pairings

What to bring:

  • Cheese and/or beverage for sharing and pairing. Snacks and beverages are also welcome.
  • 2012 Dues ($20), if not yet paid. Membership is valid through June 2013. It is also be possible to pay online through PayPal

Summary: