On secrets and truth with Mayfield and Pilsner Urquell

I have been asked why I have chosen to be the Secret Cheese and Beer Guy. "I mean what's the big secret? You've told me that you are writing about cheese and beer." or "Oh you just want to sound mysterious, like some sort of secret agent." or also "You'll never become a famous food and drink writer unless your name is out there"

There is truth and honesty in secrecy. Anybody who really wanted to find out who I am could do so really easily, I am not hiding. I have no desire to sound like a secret agent; if you knew my surname you would understand. I am not looking for fame and fortune, and I especially don't want to be in a position where I may be compromised by companies giving me stuff to promote (though I am miles from this actually happening). I simply wanted this blog to be all about the cheese and beer that I encounter. 

So on the cheese and beer! We have all, I am sure, been seduced by pre-sliced Emmental in the fridge, pulling a slice from the packet and folding it into our mouth, enjoying its sweet nutty flavour in secrecy but with no guilt. This is fine, and for the record, pre-sliced Emmental is brilliant slid into an omelette but we can do a better on our cheese board.

Mayfield is an alpine style cheese but comes from East Sussex not the mountains of European mainland. It is made by Alsop and Walker and they also produce a smoked version. They describe it as a cross between an Emmental (Swiss) and a Comté (from Jura in France). This cheese definitely has the feel of a mountain cheese. The first thing one tastes is sweet nuttiness, followed by a slightly malty butteriness with hints of hay and herbs. The flavour stays very long on the palate with a salty savouriness taking over at the end. There are absolutely no hard edges to this cheese. 

Pilsner Urquell literally translates as "Original Source Pilsner" it is regarded by many as a classic. The story of this beer starts in 1842 when the citizens of Pilsen were so dissatisfied with the quality of beer they were being served that they poured out large batches of it in the streets by way of protest.. In response both the Czech and German speaking citizens built a new brewery : The Burghers' Brewery. They also hired Bavarian brewer Joseph Groll (who apparently was not very nice) to create a new beer. Using a lager yeast and a pale malt with Saaz hops and the local, very soft, water, he created  the beer we know today as the first pale lager. 

Bohemian lagers are known to have a small amount of Diacetyl left in them. This is considered a fault in most beers (other exceptions include British and Irish session bitter) and it tastes slightly over buttery, to the point of butterscotch or even toffee. In Pilsner Urquell it is quite faint. 

The reason I chose this match was that I planned for the butteriness of the cheese to match up with the butteriness in the beer. However, I got so much more.

The hops in the beer were enhanced beautifully and that, in turn, meant that the grassy, hay-like flavours in the cheese were brought forward. Further to this, the sweetness of the cheese drew out the bitterness of the beer and left the palate singing for quite a while afterwards. I was genuinely surprised at how exciting this match was and, frankly, a bit smug at how one buttery thought had delivered such a lovely food and drink moment.