Brew & Brie are Bosom Buddies

Brew & Brie are bosom buddies in Woodstock.

I am on the 403, and looking forward to a culinary adventure through Oxford County.  I am looking forward to exploring back roads and quaint towns like Blanford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Ingersoll, Norwich, Tillsonburg, and my final destination Woodstock.

We are at the beautiful Brickhouse Brewpub in Woodstock, located at 190 Fairway Road.

Brickhouse Brewpub offers on-site brewing, a retail bottleshop, and 25 taps of all independent Ontario craft beer featuring 13 taps of Upper Thames Brewing Company beer and 12 taps showcasing other craft breweries from around Ontario.

The focus is on craft beer, a unique counter-style service, a pub-inspired menu featuring beer-infused ingredients, and local suppliers. The rustic brick interior and finishes provide a warm & inviting atmosphere and unique charm.

Debbie and I decide to dine al fresco and we head to the patio. I am excited and cannot wait to taste the brew on this brew & brie tour.

You go to the counter and order the food and drinks. I order the lager and Debbie tries the vegan Shiny cider. The lager is light, refreshing, and soothes my thirst.

I am impressed not only with the craft beer offerings but also with the variety of ciders.

I have driven all the way to the pub to taste their Braised Beef Poutine.

This french fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy combo have become one of the quintessential dishes of Canadian cuisine.

The fries are golden and fried to perfection. The cheese is squeaky. The braised beef is excellent, silky, and piping hot. Delicious.

Brickhouse Brewpub is the exemplar, and embodiment of what a pub should be. It is clean, down to earth, with great service, amazing food, and a variety of offerings.

I feel like having something sweet and I head to Whisk & Roll Bakery at 600 Dundas Street in Woodstock.

The bakery has some delicious offers. I decided to try the squares.

Coconut, chocolate, and walnuts make the squares, sumptuous.

After the lager, poutine, and the square, I need to go for a walk.

I check out the Woodstock Art Gallery which has encaustic wax paintings by Tony Scherman.

We then head to Your Farm Market. I really like their mission ‘Our mission is a simple one. While local produce is in season, we are out gathering the freshest fruits and vegetables from our trusted network of more than 40 farmers, all within a 100km radius of Woodstock. It is brought back to our markets where cheerful staff take care and delight in serving you the very best of what the season has to offer.’

I taste a few cheese samples.

I have had the brew, and dessert, and walked through town. It is time to taste some Brie.

I am heading to Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese located at 441572 Gunn’s Hill Road in Woodstock. Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese is a leader in the production of handmade artisan cheeses in Ontario! There are more than 15 cheeses to choose from. Gunn’s Hill’s artisan cheese factory is nestled in the hills of Oxford County, the dairy capital of Canada. Oxford County has a deep history of dairy and cheese production.

I really like the bucolic, picturesque, circumambient and it is peaceful.

As I enter the store I am greeted by Ashley Main, one of the cheesemakers. I tell her that I want the top four picks.  Ashley is friendly and knowledgeable and I love her infectious smile.

You can see into the cheese-making area from the retail store.

She gives me 5 Brothers, Oxford Harvest, Dark Side of the Moo, and Brigid’s Brie.

5 Brothers is a hand-crafted washed rind cow’s milk cheese that combines traits from Gouda and another Swiss variety called Appenzeller. I took the 8-month-old variety. It is delicately aged on cedar wood planks adding robust flavors to the cheese. It has creamy and rich flavors with sweeter overtones and distinctive eyes throughout the body of the cheese.

I had a few friends over on Sunday, and we washed this cheese with a Niagara Sauvignon Blanc and Pilsner.

Oxford Harvest is a hand-crafted washed rind cow’s milk cheese that is modeled after a Swiss cheese called Mutchli. It is a mild creamy cheese, developing its lightly lactic and buttery flavors after only six weeks of aging. It is delicately aged on cedar wood planks adding robust flavors to the cheese.

My daughter had a few friends over to taste the cheese that her dad had brought over. I took one piece and they finished it off.

Try the Oxford with a Lager or Riesling.

This is a hand-crafted cow’s milk cheese. It is a mild creamy cheese with buttery flavors. It is first soaked for four days in Dark Side Chocolate Stout, from Woodstock’s Upper Thames Brewery and then continues to age for four months. The flavors of the Stout resonate while eating the cheese.