I had originally meant to bitch and moan about nothing hitting the mark quite like a cheese tasting after a long week of work. TGIF ≠ TGIC says I. Math don't lie. But then I remembered my moment with a large piece of Madawaska, mowed the lawn and went to the store. See, Canada has good beer but Canada has a few great beers and Fin du Monde from Unibroue is one of them. Canada has a lot of good cheese but it's a place where you can find real Oka and good aged cheddar like Balderson 3 year old in the supermarket. Bonus? The beer and both cheeses are all made on the same St. Lawrence watershed as drains my backyard. How theme-tastic. Excellent riparian session action or what!!!

Confession. I can't do Jay's recommended 3 beer x 3 cheese. I'd need a long weekend for that much. I can only handle 2 x 1 tonight. But let's see what happens.

OK, the Fin du Monde is creamy bubble gum with a white pepper snap. A bit sweet. The Oka is a cheese that I like to eat with the orange rind on: slightly gritty and a little rubbery but herbal and nutty. It's not the greatest partner for te beer. The nuttiness that makes the cheese is either lost or ignored. Rich meets sweet is never a good match. And, for a cheese that smelly, it's subdued by the beer. Both good, bad at friendship. The cheddar does better. The tang in the cheese cuts the bubblegum and speaks to the white pepper. You might be able to do something with salmon with these flavours. Something with cod.

Maybe that's the thing. Its not whether they are good or even if they go. It's if they make you think of another thing that could join in.