Looking for a gift for dad for Father’s Day? How about some manly cheese?
I discovered Beechwood Cheese this past week, located about halfway between Green Bay and Milwaukee. Since the last time I checked in with this little factory, they’ve changed their focus from quality commodity cheeses to a whole slew of flavored jacks and cheddars.
I brought home four varieties for some friends to try. The first one: Chuckwagon Cheddar. Made from “all natural mild cheddar and monterey jack with BBQ flavor and spices,” my friends took a couple of bites and said, “This is a man’s cheese.”
So we tracked down our husbands — who in a very manly manner were hanging out in the backyard — gave them samples, and, sure enough, they pronounced it to be pretty good. Parting comments as we dodged the mosquitoes to return indoors included: “Bring out some beer!” and “This could use some more BBQ.”
Next was Uncle Charlie’s Chicken Soup Cheese. One would wonder: if you like chicken soup, wouldn’t you just eat chicken soup and not chicken soup flavored cheese? However, the folks at Beechwood assure me this is their biggest seller. Lots of people buy it to cook with and it does carry a lot of flavor. It’s also a good melting cheese.
Next up: Country Kitchen Chive & Bacon. After looking at the label and noticing it contained bacon, we decided: this is definitely another man’s cheese. Another trip out to the backyard, and another round of choruses from the men appreciating the cheese. Parting comment from my husband: “Needs more bacon.” Keep in mind this is the same man who has never met a bacon dish he didn’t like and who even eats Mo’s Bacon Bar chocolate.
Last but not least was the Beechwood Bistro Cheddar, billed as “natural cheddar cheese with black pepper, shallot and spices.” This was probably the best liked by those of us indoors, and with the men already consuming the chuckwagon cheddar and bacon cheese outside, we decided to keep this one to ourselves.
Happy Father’s Day to all cheese-eating men everywhere.
