Ciders & Sides: Truffle Cheese Shop & Stem Ciders

2811 Walnut Street,Denver CO 80205

12 October, 2021

Description

Cheese galore! This month we are celebrating cheeses that are orange or have orange rinds in honor of our favorite fall gourd - the Pumpkin! And we threw in one cheese that has some black in it, black just like our souls. Just kidding, most of us here are redheads so we don't have souls. Souls or not, we do love fall and Halloween and all things that go with, so this month's pairing has two of our favorite spooky Fall colors - orange and black! Pairing : Pear Cider // Mimolette has a spherical shape and is similar in appearance to a cantaloupe. It normally weighs about 4 pounds and is made from cow's milk. Its name comes from the French word mi-mou (feminine mi-molle), meaning "semi-soft", which refers to the oily texture of this otherwise hard cheese. The bright orange color of the cheese comes from the natural seasoning, annatto. Legend says this cheese was Napoleon's favorite and was sometimes used in cannons when the French army ran out of artillery. We will have a full wheel with us at the pairing - judge for yourself if you think it would work! Rose Cider // Taleggio is a smear-ripened Italian cheese named after the caves of Val Taleggio in Italy. It is one of the oldest soft cheeses produced every autumn and winter. During cheese making, the acidic milk is brought to the lab and kept on the wood shelves in the chambers as well in caves according to tradition. In order to prevent the cheese from mould infestation, it is washed with seawater once a week. The maturation takes 6 - 10 weeks forming a thin crust that is orange in color. The cheese has a strong smell, but the taste is relatively mild with an unusual fruity tang. This cheese is creamy and spooky good! Make sure to try this one with the orange fig jam! Lava Flow Cider // Mahon, named after the port of Mahon on the Minorca island, Spain, is a cow's milk cheese that is soft to hard with a buttery, sharp salty taste. During maturation the cheese is hand rubbed with butter, paprika and oil giving the rind a bright orange color. You can eat the rind of most cheeses, but we skip eating this one, it is a little scary to the palate... Paloma Cider // Rustico Black Pepper is a creamy, semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese that hails from the hills of Tuscany. Also known as a young pepato thanks to the addition of whole black peppercorns, the cheese strikes the perfect balance between cheese and pepper. And we think it goes perfectly with our orange and black theme (come on, you didn't think we would actually serve you black cheese did you??) We love this one melted on a burger with some bacon, not scary at all! To complete our theme - enjoy the Pumpkin Spice Marconas (ok, yeah, we jumped on that train), black olives and orange fig jam! Reservations recommended, tickets can be purchased until 12pm on Monday 10/11. Limited day-of pairings will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Stem Ciders is a craft cidery based in Lafayette, Colorado. Founded in 2013 by Eric Foster and Phil Kao, two entrepreneurs with a deep appreciation for craft, and a strong commitment to reviving the cider tradition, Stem produces cider founded on three main principles: quality, style, and tradition.The RiNo cider house doors opened in January of 2014 with three ciders on tap and a mission to share with you the cider traditions that our founders know and love. With the addition of a primary production facility and restaurant, Acreage, in Lafayette, Colorado, Stem Ciders continues to grow nationally with wholesale and retail focus. From the first batch of cider produced in 2011 – now known as Real Dry Apple Cider, to the seasonal ciders and monthly Firkin experiments, Stem is committed to producing the highest quality cider that brings those traditions to the forefront.