Jay Brooks is hosting the next Session—#51, coming up May 6th—and the topic he’s put together is the most involved Session yet: The Great Online Beer & Cheese-Off. It’s complicated, so be sure to go read the entire post, but here’s the nutshell version:

Below are three cheeses. I chose ones that I believe are available throughout the U.S. and quite possibly beyond our shores. And they all sell via mail order, too. So pick up some of each, or if you can’t find those specific cheeses, choose similar ones. Pick a beer to pair with each one and post your results on the first Friday in May.

There are at least a few approaches you could take:

1. Guess what beer to pair, and then report the results.
2. Try a few beers with each cheese, then report the results on which worked best, and why.
3. Invite some friends over, and have each bring a beer to pair, then report the results on which worked best, and why.
4. Obviously, if you can only pair one cheese, or two, don’t let that deter you.
5. Whatever else catches your fancy.

Head over to Jay’s post to see the three cheeses he’s picked. But wait! There’s more!

Okay, I know not everyone will want to go for this, but if you’re with me so far here’s the idea for part two. As soon as I can after the May 6th Session, I’ll post the round-up with a list of all the beers that everyone suggested to pair with each of the cheeses. Then over the subsequent two weeks, whoever wants to participate, pick up some of the other beers that were suggested, and try them with the same three cheeses and do a follow up blog post on Friday, May 20 — let’s call it Session #51.5 — to explore more fully pairing cheese and beer.

I have to say, I love this Session topic, even for it’s complications, and I’m a bit surprised it took over 50 Sessions to come up with a “Beer and Cheese” topic. I don’t know if I can find the specific cheeses Jay recommends, but if not I have some substitutions in mind—and I know how my next few weekends are going to be spent.