“Luck of the Irish”

Creeny – Corleggy Cheeses, Belturbet Co. Cavan, Ireland

Raw, Sheep’s milk

About:  Creeny is mild when it is young, but gets super sharp as it ages.  It is a rare cheese due to production being limited to 4 months of the year.  Sheep’s milk is the richest milk with high butter fat and protein content, which makes for a rich luxurious cheese.  Made from the milk of sheep who graze the grass of the region that has soil rich in salt and minerals thus producing this deliciously salty and rich cheese.

Pairings: Creeny would be great served on a hearty wheat bread or on multigrain crackers, and can hold up to a big red wine like The Prisoner.

Gortnamona – Maher Farm, Tipperary Region, Ireland

Pasteurized, Goat’s milk

About:  A mild and creamy camembert-style goat’s milk cheese.  It has a silver-white, soft paste that is chalky with creaminess developing towards the rind.  Gortnamona offers a delicate aroma of white mushrooms from the rind.  The Maher Farm’s pastures are rich and are surrounded by damp boggy land, which makes the perfect environment to produce top quality milk needed to make this wonderful cheese.

Pairings: Gortnamona would pair delightfully with a Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay.

Humming Bark – Carrigbyrne Farmhouse, Adamstown, Co. Wexford, Ireland

Pasteurized, Cow’s milk

About: “Humming Bark has recently been developed by Paddy and Charlie of Carrigbyrne Farm, a semi-soft cheese with a strong nose and full-flavored taste.  Aged in spruce bark and produced with only the finest milk, this cheese has already been awarded Reserve Champion at both Irish Cheese Awards the British Cheese Awards in 2014, along with Great Taste Awards in both 2015 & 2016.  Not for the faint hearted and a connoisseur’s delight, this particularly pungent cheese is a delicious new member of the Carrigbyrne line-up” www.carrigbyrne.ie.

Pairings: Humming Bark would serve nicely with a malty English style beer with roasty malt flavors like Hogshead Boys Bitter.

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For those of you with the added Charcuterie of the Month:

British Style Bangers – CHARCUTNUVO, Continental Sausage, Inc., Denver, CO

About:  A banger is a tender and fluffy sausage with a sagey lift to them.  These British Style Bangers contain humanely raised pork, and is enhanced with organic sourdough bread and spices.  It’s perfect for breakfast or dinner with mashers. www.charcutnuvo.com.