Allagash Black

Pint Breaks usually focus solely on beer, but sometimes I get a little hungry after dousing my palate with such tasty and interesting brews.

Today, I’ll have a little cheese with my beer. Specifically, a nice Black Cambozola – an exceptionally mild mix of Camembert and Gorgonzola.

According to the seasoned Cicerone at my local Kroger, Black Cambozola would pair excellently with a rich porter or strong stout. However, the Brewers Association contradicts him in its American Craft Beer and Food: Perfect Companions pamphlet, claiming that milder blues pair far better with a classic IPA.

Luckily, we have all kinds of beer available to us at the BC headquarters, and we think a compromise has been reached with Allagash Black.

This year-round offering from the decorated brewery in Portland, Maine, is described as a “Belgian Style Stout” on its label but is more often characterized as a Dark Belgian Strong Ale. It has even been described as a Black IPA!

No matter what the style, Black Cambozola and Allagash Black are a terrific combination. The mild creaminess of the cheese complemented the dark caramelized sugar quality of the beer perfectly, and left me craving some more interesting beer and cheese pairings.

The color black is the absence of all light, but with this culinary pairing of “black” delicacies, my day was a little bit brighter.

– Chris Guest