Special Guest Columnist: Grafton Village Cheddar

Today Dairyland presents an entry by special guest reviewer Charles M., a dear college chum of mine and fellow tyrophile. He's also, as will be obvious in this review, a gourmet beer guzzler. Take it away, Chuck!

I went to a Vermont cheese and beer tasting last night [Feb. 18--Ed.] at the Blind Tiger in the West Village, and sampled what might have been the best cheddar cheese I've ever eaten. Grafton Village 4-star Cheddar (aged 4 years). Slightly crumbly and dry, almost like parmigianno reggiano, with a complex, salty sharpness. They also featured a Grafton Maple-Smoked Cheddar, which was smoked with maple wood and tasted slightly sweet and almost bacony. Those two were the big winners. They also had a Crowley Colby and a couple of raw milk farmhouse cheeses from Orb Weaver Farm, as well as a Vermont Sherphed raw milk sheep cheese from Major Farm - all of which were quite tasty but a bit mild for my tastes. Matched all these with a Magic Hat Ravell (vanilla-bean-flavored porter) and a McNeill's Old Ringworm (supposedly a barleywine but not as sweet as a normal one, and very malty). I could have perhaps chosen something with more bite like an IPA, but they were both delicious brews anyway.

Over and out,

Charles