A serendipitous sandwich order led to an event that will feature Belgian-style brews and cheeses from the Cheese Cave at Red Bank’s Molly Pitcher Inn this month. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JIM WILLIS

Man’s fortunate discovery of the delicious results of fermentation, e.g. beer, wine and cheese, had a lot to do with luck, good timing and happenstance.

So too, Sunday’s Beer and Cheese tasting event at the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank had everything to do with good timing and a serendipitous sandwich order.

Bernard Johnson, Regional Manager for Canadian-based brewery, Unibroue, tells PieHole that he’d heard of Red Bank’s Cheese Cave before, but until recently, hadn’t stopped in.

“It’s funny,” says Johnson, “I’m a big fan of pairing our Belgian ales with cheeses, and wanted to brush up on some pairings for some of our older and specialty beers.”

Cheese Cave owner Steve Catania “is so crafty with his cheese pairings,” says Johnson, “so I went down and introduced myself.”

Johnson says he brought along a few specialty brews, including some beers that Unibroue’s brewmaster had made that aren’t sold to the public.

As they were sampling the beer and cheese, Kevin Barry of the Molly Pitcher happened to walk in for a sandwich.

“I said, ‘we should do a beer and cheese event at your hotel,’ and he said ‘let’s do it,’ and the event was born,” Catania recalls.

Catania tells PieHole they’ve already had to move the event to a bigger room at the Molly Pitcher to accommodate demand.

Johnson says the Belgian-style beer that he’ll be bringing suits itself to pairings with cheese.

“Nothing against the American craft beers, but if I’m perfectly frank, Belgian style ales can pair better with cheese.”

The event is Sunday, March 16 from 5 to 9 p.m. The cost is $65.00 plus gratuity and tax for seven different cheeses, four beers and an entree.

If you’re interested in attending, you’ll need to reserve your spot by calling Kelly at the Molly Pitcher Inn (732) 747-2500 by this Monday 5 p.m.