In a collaboration of crafts, Rogue Creamery and Rogue Ales & Spirits debuted the first in a series of 2009 Bintage Hop Cheddar and TouVelle cheeses this past weekend to a crowd of 5000 in Washington D.C. at SAVOR, America’s premier beer and food tasting festival.

G.Y.O. HOP CHEESE.

Rogue Farms Independent Cheddar, the first in the series, is hand-mixed with GYO Certified Independent Hops from the Rogue Micro Hopyard in Oregon’s Wigrich Appellation. Each cheese in the series is made with one, or a combination, of the 7 varieties of GYO Certified Aroma Hops grown on the Micro Hopyard. Whole hop leaves are de-stemmed by hand, steeped in hot water, mixed into the cheese curds and then pressed into 40 pound blocks. The next cheeses in the series, Freedom & Liberty Cheddars, will debut mid-June.

Rogue Creamery is an artisan cheese maker with people dedicated to service, sustainability and the art and tradition of making the world’s finest handmade cheese. They’ve received more than 70 awards for taste and quality.

THE PERFECT COMPLEMENT.

The two Rogues also debuted Rogue Creamery 75th Anniversary Ale. Made using ten ingredients, including Independent hops, it’s a perfectly simple pairing for Rogue Farms Independent Cheddar. The Rogue obsession with cheddar doesn’t stop there. The two Rogues have collaborated in the past to create Morimoto Soba Ale Cheddar and Chocolate Stout Cheddar, both recipients of multiple awards. They are available at the Rogue Creamery cheese shop, Rogue Ales Public Houses and at select gourmet retailers nationwide.

OUR TERROIR.

Rogue Ale’s brewery at Newport, Oregon is located between two world famous cheese appellations, Tillamook and Bandon. The terroir of Oregon’s coast has been producing beers and cheddar cheeses for more than three centuries. The Growers, Farmers, Maltsters, Roasters, Millers, Mashers, Hoppers, Brewers, Fermenters, Distillers, Smithers, Coopers, Ocean-Agers and Smokers of the Rogue Department of Agriculture remain dedicated to saving the terroir of Oregon hops & barley one acre at a time by growing their own.

The 5th Annual Brewer’s Memorial Ale Fest, the Largest Dog Beer Festival in the World, raised a record $15,000 for Oregon dog charities. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Friends of Lincoln County Animal Shelters and Oregon Coast Therapy animals. More than 2,700 humans and 837 of their best friends attended the festival created in memory of Brewer, the faithful black lab companion of Rogue Brewmaster John Maier, who passed away on May 20th, 2006. Brewer grew up in the brewery and eventually rose to the rank of Chairman of the Board of Rogue Ales.

The festival was held inside the Rogue Ales Brewery in Newport and included the World’s Largest Dog Menu (also available year-round at all Rogue Ales Public Houses), Doggy Musical Chairs, Dog Wash, Doggy Olympics, Dog Dancing, Brewer Says, and the Brewer Look-A-Like Contest.

50+ microbrews were poured including brews from Buckman Brewing, Amnesia Brewing, Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Block 15 Brewing Co., Boneyard Brewing, BridgePort Brewing Co., Burnside Brewing Company, Calapooia Brewing Co., Elysian Brewing Company, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Flat Tail Brewing, Fort George Brewery, Green Dragon Brew Crew, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Issaquah Brewhouse, Laughing Dog Brewing, Lompoc Brewing, Lucky Labrador Brewing Company, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Pike Brewing Co., Track Town Ales, Upright Brewing and Rogue Ales.

Music was provided by the Ty Curtis Band, the Vicki Stevens Band and the Rob Connell Band. The event featured Oregon food from Mo’s, Local Ocean Seafood, Brewer’s on the Bay, and the Rogue Creamery.
The event was sponsored by KG Specialty, Food Services of America, Mo’s, Newport News-Times, KBCH AM 1400, KCRF 96.7 FM, U92 Country, KNPT AM 1390, KYTE FM 102.7, Great Western Malting Co., Columbia Distributing, Umpqua Bank, Local Ocean, the Newport Chamber of Commerce, and Thompson Sanitary Service.