Stinky, sticky, pungent and meaty—we want the funk! From washed rinds to soft-ripened and Swiss Alpine cheeses like gruyere, funkadelic cheeses are an acquired taste well worth the trying. Keep the flavor train coming with crusty bread, savory jams and cured meats, plus strong sips like off-dry, earthy wines, bold and leathery ales or single malt Scotch for a one-way ticket to Funkytown. 

Smell Me Something Good: Alemar Cheese Company Good Thunder gets its stinky soul by bathing in brown ale for three weeks, then chilling another twelve. Double up on the ale with Calicraft Brewing Co. Oaktown Brown Ale, locally fermented in three different oaks with cascade hops to create a fantastically funky fusion.

Brut House: Made with milk from grass-fed cows, Alemar Cheese Company Good Thunder boasts dynamite yeasty, malty and meaty flavors. Sparkling wine can tame the funkiest flavors in cheese, making the crisp and vivacious Gérard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux Brut one rad mama jama. 

Earth, Wind & Gewurztraminer: Emmi Kaltbach Cave Aged Gruyere is a superfly Alpine cheese with robust and fruity flavors of browned butter and toasted nuts. Enjoy with the spicy aromatics of rose petal, apple pie spice, honeysuckle and ginger in Husch Vineyards Gewurztraminer for a pleasantly pungent pairing.

Get Up Outta That Cave: Aged in Swiss sandstone caves for 300 days, Emmi Kaltbach Cave Aged Gruyere has a nutty, lactic component that’s so good, so good. The sweet caramelized pineapple and vanilla sponge cake notes in Highland Park Magnus Single Malt Scotch Whisky make this stinky star shine.

Jadot Rider: Both Cellars at Jasper Hill Harbison and Louis Jadot Pinot Noir got the funk with earthy notes of dried mushrooms, wild herbs and pine on the palate. Together, the rich, rustic undertones of this soft-ripened cheese get down and boogie with the dark berry sweetness in the wine.

For a little extra funk, also try aged chèvre.