"Beer and Cheese Pairings......"

Don and I drove into Traverse City to participate in a beer and cheese pairing event at The Little Fleet (http://www.thelittlefleet.com). The beer was from Terra Firma Brewery (http://www.breweryterrafirma.com/index.php), located south on the outskirts of Traverse City, and the cheese from Boss Mouse (http://www.bossmousecheese.com), located outside of Kingsley, a small town (village?) south of Traverse City.

Here is the menu of what was served.

Sue Kurta, the cheese artisan, sat down and chatted with us, telling us how she got started, etc.  She is a delightful person and her enthusiasm wonderful!  We also met the owner of The Little Fleet, Gary, seen in the cap and glasses behind the bar, who seemed very nice, too.

For whatever reason, the beer was served in wine glasses, but I have to admit, I think I enjoyed it more that way.  As many of you know, I am not a big beer connoisseur, but all 5 of the beer/cheese pairings were delicious!  I'm certain that if having tasted a few of the beers by themselves, I would not have gone back for a second sip, but having a bit of the paired cheese with it, I found it delicious.

Here is a close up of the cheese plate.  The pairings were set clockwise from the top and around the plate, which also had sliced apples and a trail mix of dried fruits and nuts.  We topped the sliced apples with the last cheese, Ricotta in Marmalade.  Ummmmummmm GOOD!

Of course, Don had to not only document the event with the photos of the beer and cheese, but had to add my mug in a photo, too.  ;)