We know beer and cheese are supposed to be aged, but this is ridiculous…

At 137 years old, the Swarthmore Co-op is so old it doesn’t just remember when Brewerytown had breweries, it can tell you what color knickers your great-great-great-great grandmother would wear when she’d pick up her cheese from the local cow. But that doesn’t stop it from keeping up with the times by hosting a foodie book group, stocking organic spaghetti sauce and gluten-free nutritional bars, and throwing a local craft beer-and-artisan cheese bash at the store tonight.

From 8-9:30 pm, a collection of Philly food and beer connoisseurs will lead tastings, moderate discussions and, according to the website, engage in all manners of “testing and evaluation.” What pairs best with a sharp cheddar: dark beer or hoppy beer? Go.

Masters of the classroom include Dock Street Brew Master Scott Morrison,  co-op cheese monger Alex Mayka, Slow Food advocate and beer snob Hans-Jakob Werlen, and a rep from Wayne County’s Calkins Creamery, which is supplying the cheese. The co-op is selling take-home cheese at a discount and sending pupils home with tasting sheets so they don’t forget everything they learned over the summer.

Beer and Cheese Tasting at the Swarthmore Co-op:

Thursday, February 23 from 8pm-9:30pm at the Swarthmore Co-op
341 Dartmouth Avenue, Swarthmore
$18 Members, $22 Future/Non-Members

Swarthmore Coop [Official website]