This is a continuation of a blog about the Shore Craft Beer Talk and Tasting held at the Clarion Fountainebleu in early 2016.
First (and this may or may not be news to you) most people can’t get Capitano’s Winter Stout. OK If you count Asia most people can’t get craft beer, but I’m making a larger point. Fin City only sells this beer very locally. It’s other brands are available for distribution, but this (and a couple of others) is only for here, brewed in very small batches and sold out of the Ocean City brewhouse.
The beer is warm and roasty but still not skimpy in the hops department. The smoked cheddar complemented it for that very reason, amplifying the bitter and the smoke rather than counterpointing them. Even a great cheddar will leave something of an aftertaste that this beer hits hard again and again, kind of like power washing your tongue.
I feel like this beer and cheese pairing would go best with something equally roasty, like a soup and cheese lunch on a cold Saturday afternoon.
Author: Tony Russo
Tony Russo has worked as a print and digital journalist for the better part of the 21st century, writing for and editing regional weeklies and dailies before joining the team that produces OceanCity.com and ShoreCraftBeer.com among other destination websites. In addition to having documented everything from zoning changes to art movements on the Delmarva Peninsula, Tony has written two books on beer for the History Press. Eastern Shore Beer was published in 2014 and Delaware Beer in 2016. He lives in Delmar, Md. with his wife Kelly and the only of his four daughters who hasn't moved out. Together they keep their two dogs comfortable.
