Sprout Creek Farm

The local cheese of the month (I know I'm a little off on the month, timing-wise - but anyhoo) is Sprout Creek Farm I picked up five great cheeses from them and they'll be on the shelf later today.


Toussaint

A Robustly flavored cheese with a distinctive Alpine flavor.
Toussaint becomes more complex and peppery with age, and rounds out with a smooth, tight texture. Natural edible rind.






Ouray

An earthy buttery cheese with a sweet floral flavor, Ouray has a firm creamy paste with a crisp edible natural rind.




Batch 35

A crisp coppery rind sheaths a straw colored interior of this smear-ripened cheese. Smooth, with an open texture and a scattering of eyes, this cheese is meaty, pungent, and earthy.


Eden

Smear-ripened with an elastic texture and a golden interior, Eden has a pungent nose but a sweet apple butterscotch finish.

Sophie

Beneath the rind of this soft-ripened goats’ milk cheese is a white pearly paste with a balanced herbaceous flavor.

(Sorry that there's no pictures for all the cheeses - trust me, they're great!)

Three weirdo beers that I’m loving for their lightness and brightness for the holidays.

Leelanau and Penn Brewing
Firstly, let’s talk about the Leelanau Brewing Company of Michigan. The Gold Harbor Golden and Whaleback White are amazingly delicious, complex, and in a way, easy. I guess it’s easy when you taste that good. They are handcrafted by Ron Jeffries, one of the best craft brewers on the planet. Just try them, they're expansive and subtle. Think champagne course.

My other favorite is the Penn Kaiser Pils, 2008 GABF gold medal winner. This beer is clean, crisp, and has a nice bitter closure. That sounds like a trite explanation of a pilsner but this triple-decocted bit of loveliness is really gooooood. Try it! It’s easy with food.
cheers, Anngel