On Tuesday, 11th February, we gathered at Bullhouse East for a night of bold brews, incredible Irish cheese, and plenty of good craic. A huge thank you to Declan from Otterbank Brewery for leading us through the wild, funky, and fascinating world of mixed fermentation beers, and to our own Stephen for bringing the cheese knowledge to the table.
For those looking to relive the pairings (or just daydream about them), here’s your tasting guide from the night.
Your Tasting Notes: The Pairings
🍺 Welcome To Muff (Raw Session IPA, 3.5%)
Paired with: Hegarty’s Cheddar
💭 Tasting Takeaway: Light, hazy, and citrusy, this unfiltered IPA was all about freshness. Pairing it with Hegarty’s Cheddar—which is buttery, sharp, and packed with umami—gave that crisp hop bitterness something savvy to bounce off. Simple, but so, so effective.
🍺 Internationale (Brett Pale Ale, 4.4%)
Paired with: Gubbeen
💭 Tasting Takeaway: A little funky, a little fruity, and full of farmhouse charm—this brett-fermented pale ale met its perfect match in Gubbeen, a cheese that’s as much about its rind as it is about the rich, milky paste underneath. That mushroomy, lightly smoky edge? Made for the wild, rustic depth of this beer.
🍺 Wild Muff (Wild Acidic Pale, 5.9%)
Paired with: St. Tola
💭 Tasting Takeaway: This one was a proper palate awakener. Tart, bright, and buzzing with acidity, Wild Muff had the lively citrus and farmhouse character to stand up to St. Tola, our beloved raw milk goat’s cheese. The goat’s milk tang + the wild ale sharpness = absolute dynamite.
🍺 Messers (Bordeaux Aged Lambic, 7.3%)
Paired with: Kearney Blue
💭 Tasting Takeaway: Red wine barrels meet wild fermentation? That deep oak, dark fruit, and complex acidityfound a natural partner in Kearney Blue’s creamy-yet-crumbly texture. The cheese’s subtle saltiness + the winey, aged lambic tang = one of the night’s standouts.
🍺 Cake Dealer (Imperial Pastry Stout, 11.6%)
Paired with: Smoked Gubbeen
💭 Tasting Takeaway: Big, bold, and boozy—Cake Dealer did not hold back. This rich, chocolate-laden imperial stout was all about decadence, and Smoked Gubbeen’s buttery, earthy, lightly bacony goodness was a perfect counterpoint. The smokiness cut through the dark sweetness, while the stout brought extra layers and roundness to the smoke in the cheese.
Bring the Pairings Home
Loved what you tasted? You’ll find all the cheeses from the night at Indie Füde, and we’d highly recommend keeping an eye out for Otterbank’s small-batch brews at Bullhouse East or through their indie beer stockists.
Join the Conversation!
What was your favourite pairing? Share your thoughts and snaps with us using:
📲 #WildAles #IrishCheese #IndieFüde #Otterbank #BullhouseEast
Stay in the Loop
For more top-notch tastings and artisan food & drink events, follow:
🔸 Indie Füde – championing proper Irish food
🔸 Otterbank Brewery – for wild, small-batch, and seriously interesting beer
🔸 Bullhouse East – Belfast’s Indie beer haven
A huge thanks to Declan for sharing his knowledge and beers, to Stephen for the cheese chat, to the team at Bullhouse East for looking after us, and to everyone who came along—we love sharing these nights with you! Until the next one—sláinte! 🍻🧀
