cheeseunderground cheese curd, deep fried, graze, the great dane, the old fashioned, tipsy cow, Wisconsin cheese

The Downtown Madison Deep-Fried Cheese Curd Challenge

Just like Friday fish fries, Jell-O salads, and beer brats, deep-fried cheese curds are uniquely Wisconsin. Once relegated to county fairs, bars, and bowling alleys, the deep-fried delicacy today claims top billing on many an upscale menu. In downtown Madison, dozens of restaurants offer deep-fried cheese curds as an appetizer or side, and some are even transforming the once lowly fair-food into a top-shelf item.

So which downtown Madison restaurants do deep-fried cheese curds the best? To find out, I visited four different restaurants in a two-hour timespan for the ultimate taste test. But first, I had to pick up my photographer to capture the cheesy journey on film, which proved to be the first hurdle in what was to be a tougher writing assignment than first anticipated.

On a Thursday at 1:00 p.m., upon getting into my car, my photographer promptly informed me he had only two hours for the assignment. Unlike me, he has a real job, and two hours was the longest fake dentist appointment he could make without raising the suspicion of his boss. Incredulous, I asked him, “You mean we have to a) drive downtown, b) find a place to park, c) visit four restaurants and order cheese curds at each, d) eat aforementioned cheese curds, and then e) photograph each, all in two hours?” He stared back at me, unresponsive. I sighed. “Well then,” I said, “Challenge accepted.” And we roared off in my cheek geek mobile to hit four restaurants in 120 minutes.

First stop: Tipsy Cow on King Street. Neither of us had been there, and because we had to wait for our order of cheese curds to cook, we asked the bartender to throw in a couple of burgers, too. Fifteen minutes later, the burgers and cheese curds arrived at our table.

Five minutes later, my burger was gone, and my photographer was still trying to get the perfect shot of the $7.99 curds, which had arrived in a plastic basket lined with black and white checkered paper. I assured him that by now, he must have a good shot, and proceeded to taste my first deep-fried cheese curd of the day.

Hand-battered with New Glarus Spotted Cow beer, the white cheddar cheese curds at Tipsy Cow are very good. Light and fluffy, not greasy and not filling—at least at first—they dare you to eat them all, one luscious curd at a time. Stupidly, we did eat almost the entire basket before asking for the check. Strike one.

Second stop: Graze on Pinckney Street (pictured far top, right). We bellied up to the bar, ordered a basket of $8 cheese curds, and chatted with the bartender while he made me an iced latte. Ten minutes later, a very nice silver metal basket filled to the brim with enormous deep-fried cheese curds appeared, along with a bread and butter plate, and fork and knife for each of us. I wrinkled my brow. Typically, cheese curds are finger food. At Graze, however, cheese curds are considered the first course, and are big enough to require utensils. Sourced fresh daily from Sassy Cow Creamery in Columbus and dipped into an in-house vodka batter, these cheese curds are the masters of their domain. Did we eat the entire basket? Of course. Strike two.

Third stop: The Old Fashioned, also on Pinckney Street. By this time, it was after 2:00 p.m., and the bar was fairly empty, so we found two stools under a lamp (the photographer was becoming a pro at shooting curds by this time). We ordered two tap root beers and a $6.95 basket of cheese curds. Five minutes later, the curds arrived, along with General Manager Jennifer De Bolt, who had caught wind that a cheese curd writer and photographer were in town.

Offered with a choice of five sauces, including roasted garlic, smoked Spanish paprika, a tiger sauce with horseradish and mayo, a tiger sauce with blue cheese, and the reliable standby of buttermilk ranch, the curds at The Old Fashioned are second to none. Smaller and greasier than the curds at Graze, they are tasty and addictive. Similar to the Tipsy Cow, The Old Fashioned sources their curd from Vern’s Cheese, a distributor in Chilton, Wisconsin. De Bolt said curds are delivered fresh three days a week, and are dipped in buttermilk before being rolled into a secret seasoned flour concoction. The result: pure bliss.

“The key to a good deep fried cheese curd is starting with a fresh curd,” De Bolt told us. “I can tell the difference between a one-day-old curd and three-day-old curd.” By this time, so could we. The curds at Graze had been super fresh—still milky and squeaky, while the curds at the Tipsy Cow had been less stringy and denser. We happily ate nearly the entire bowl of Old Fashioned cheese curds before realizing our mistake. You guessed it, strike three.

Last stop: the Great Dane Pub on East Doty Street. Hoisting ourselves up to the bar, we reluctantly ordered yet another basket of cheese curds. A few minutes later, the $8 curds arrived, along with Executive Chef Matt Moyer, who seemed disappointed to tell us they had stopped making deep-fried curds in-house years ago. Instead, they purchase frozen curd from a manufacturer in Stevens Point, which uses Point Beer in the beer batter. The result is a super-smooth deep-fried cheese curd, perfectly acceptable, but which pales in comparison to fresh, hand-battered curds.

“We do use fresh curds from Hook’s Cheese in Mineral Point for our poutine,” Moyer said, “and despite the fact our curds are not made in-house, they are still our number one selling item on the menu at all five restaurants.” We could see why. If ever there was a food made to eat with a pint of beer, it is a deep-fried cheese curd.

With our bellies full of hot oil and cheese, we stumbled back to the car. It was a little past 3:00 p.m., and I asked my photographer if he would get in trouble for being late to work. He shook his head. “There is no possible way I’m going back to work,” he said, rubbing his stomach. “I’m fairly sure the dentist found a problem. In fact, I’m pretty sure I needed a root canal. I’m going home to lie down.” Turns out Madison’s deep-fried cheese curds had beat us both. But we didn’t mind. Challenge accomplished.

Note: this article is published in the current issue of Madison Originals Magazine. Check out this awesome publication and the cover photo by clicking here. 
cheeseunderground hook's cheese, nordic creamery, potosi beer, sara hill, uplands cheese, Wisconsin cheese, wisconsin cheese originals

A Tour of Artisan Cheeses in the Driftless Region

This past week, I did what anyone who needs an excuse to go see some of her favorite cheesemakers would do: I organized a two-day artisan cheesemaker and craft beer tour of the Driftless Region. Fifteen members of Wisconsin Cheese Originals came along for a backstage pass to some of America’s finest food artisans.

First stop: Uplands Cheese near Dodgeville. Cheesemaker Andy Hatch, son August and wife Caitlin were amazing hosts, showing off one of America’s most famous farmstead cheese plants, home to Pleasant Ridge Reserve.

We tasted three ages of Pleasant Ridge Reserve – 5 months, 11 months and 15 months.

We also got a sneak peak at baby Rush Creek Reserves, which will hit the market in about a month. This washed-rind cheese, wrapped in spruce bark, is aging nicely in the aging rooms. I can’t wait to taste that yummy gooiness of a cheese — it’s been too long since I had my Rush Creek fix.

After waving goodbye to Andy, Caitlin and Baby August, we were off to Hook’s Cheese in Mineral Point. Owners Tony and Julie Hook are always the most gracious of hosts, and Tony was in an especially good mood, just having made his very first batch of goat milk blue the day before. He says he’ll know in six months whether his new goat blue (yet to be named) is a success, but with Tony’s track record, I’m pretty sure it’ll be a winner.

One of my favorite places to visit is Hooks’ cold storage, packed floor to ceiling with Cheddar just waiting to be eaten. I saw some 17-year Cheddar in there — fingers crossed it hits the market in the next year or two!

After a local lunch of pasty, corn casserole and pecan pie at the Brewery Creek cafe in Mineral Point, we were off to Potosi Brewery for a museum tour and beer tasting (because nothing goes better with cheese than beer, right?). The always amazing Sara Hill of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board put together a full Potosi beer and Wisconsin cheese course together for us. My favorite pairing of the day: Potosi Cave Ale and Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Thank you, Sara!

After a four-course local-foods dinner and overnight at the Old Oak Inn Bed & Breakfast in Soldiers Grove, we were off bright and early to Hidden Springs Creamery near Westby. Owners Dean and Brenda Jensen took us on a wagon ride to get up and close and personal with their sheep, and trek through a little of Amish country. Aren’t we a good looking group? Check out this 20-second video of the Driftless Region.

Brenda gave us the full tour of her farmstead cheese factory, milking parlor, barns, farm bed and breakfast, and treated us to a tasting of the many award-winning sheep’s milk cheeses she makes by hand.

We were then treated to an on-farm lunch catered by Rooted Spoon in Viroqua. Owner Dani Lind made us some Hidden Springs Ocooch Mountain cheese cornbread & jalapeno honey butter, local greens salad with roasted beets, cucumbers, Hidden Springs Driftless cheese, sausage, pepitas, & fresh mint vinaigrette, fresh local fruit and some tasty purple basil & aronia berry lemonade. What a treat to eat a meal right from the area from which the ingredients were sourced.

Our last stop of the trip was Nordic Creamery, where we were greeted by owner Sarah Bekkum and given a VIP tour of the farmstead butter, cheese and ice cream plant. After a butter and cheese tasting, we ended our day with an ice cream cone made right at Nordic Creamery.

Thanks to everyone who joined me on the tour, and special thanks to our hosts and hostesses who showed off the Driftless Region with pride. I have no doubt we will be returning, and returning very soon!

All photos by Uriah Carpenter. Copyright 2012.

cheeseunderground dairy business innovation center, Wisconsin cheese

The End of the Dairy Business Innovation Center

On Sept. 30, a simple idea that started in a break room over a frozen dinner and evolved into one of the most effective and efficient dairy innovation catalysts ever, will come to an end.

That’s right: 8 years, 43 new dairy plants, 72 expanded dairy plants, more than 50 new cheese varieties and hundreds of realized dreams later, the Dairy Business Innovation Center will close its virtual doors because of a lack of funding.

For me, watching the DBIC end is like losing a member of my family. It is personal. It is raw. I am grieving, and I know Wisconsin cheesemakers are grieving with me.

For those of you who know me, you know this organization has made me the person I am today. From the moment I met DBIC Founder Dan Carter in 2004, and he asked me to be part of a team that aimed to help grow artisan cheese in Wisconsin (my response: what’s artisan cheese?) to the moment 9 months ago when I walked away as communications director because I could not stomach watching the organization die, DBIC blood has run in my veins. Hell, it still does. It probably always will.

For the life of me, I can not understand why an organization that helped more than 200 dairy farmers, artisan, farmstead and specialty cheesemakers, milk processors, yogurt makers, ice cream manufacturers, and buttermakers with no- to low-cost, world-class technical, business and marketing assistance, was simply allowed to shrivel up and die.

Perhaps it was because we didn’t have a fancy logo or neon-lighted building. Maybe it was because we never made a DBIC banner or printed four-color brochures. Perhaps it was because I didn’t tell the story often or well enough, not wanting to (but sometimes doing so anyway) stepping on partner organization toes or turf. Maybe it was because we lost our champion in the honorable Senator Herb Kohl, who diligently secured funding for five consecutive years, but when earmarks were declared politically incorrect, could no longer conjure up needed funds.

What I can tell you is that like all endings of government-run not-for-profits, this ending was pointlessly political.

What I can tell you is that I’m pretty sure every cheesemaker who opened a new cheese plant or launched a new product doesn’t care whose administration the organization started under.

What I can tell you is that I’m pretty sure every dairy farmer who received grant funds to modernize his fourth-generation family farm doesn’t care which industry organization got the credit.

What I can tell you is the people – yes the real people that we helped – simply cared about results. And we had results. We had $1.2 billion in industry reinvestment worth of results.

What a shame that in the end, results didn’t matter. In the end, politics won. And for that, Wisconsin cheesemakers and dairy farmers will suffer.

For every cheesemaker, every wannabe cheesemaker, every dairy farmer, every little girl and boy growing up on a farm and dreaming of it one day being theirs, please know this: the core team of DBIC consultants — the folks who were there in the beginning and who stayed to the end — still have the best interest of Wisconsin’s dairy industry at heart. We are passionate. We want to help you. We want to move forward. We are dedicated to continuing the growth of artisan, farmstead and specialty dairy products in Wisconsin, and we don’t care a whiff about politics. You’ll find us continuing our work in the industry. Seek us out.

cheeseunderground bruichladdich, craig johnstone, madison ruby, pleasant ridge reserve, sartori, scotland, whisky, Wisconsin cheese

Whiskey & Cheese Geeks

Whisky is not my thing. At least I never thought so until last night. It turns out whisky, when presented with a first-rate storyteller in the form of Craig Johnstone from Bruichladdich, is actually pretty good. And it can be an excellent pairing with artisan cheese.

A few months ago, the fine folks who run the annual Madison Ruby Conference asked me if I’d partner with a whisky geek from Scotland to lead a two-hour cheese/whisky pairing session for 150 of their trade show attendees. I thought it sounded like fun, so when Craig emailed me the three whiskies he had chosen, I did like any good writer who hates whisky does – I googled each, and then blind-paired a cheese based on his tasting notes. I figured — it’s whisky — how complicated can it be?

For the whisky drinkers out there, you know exactly how complicated it can be, and after two hours of whisky infotainment by Craig, I now have a much better understanding. Hell, I might even buy a bottle or two. Here are the pairings we came up with (all miraculously very good) and a little about each:

1. The Botanist, a small batch, artisanal Islay gin
Okay, so Craig pulled a surprise on me with this one, and I didn’t have a cheese lined up to pair with it. But after tasting this aromatic gin (made with 22 wild, native island botanicals, including juniper), I’d pair Marieke Honey Clover Gouda with it. This gin is a relatively new offering from Bruichladdich, and the first batch they made filled 250,000 bottles (a little confidence is a good thing).

2. Laddie 10 paired with Sartori BellaVitano Gold
The first whisky of the evening proved to be my favorite, perhaps, as I was to learn later, it was the least-peatiest (is that a word?) of the Bruichladdich whiskies. This 10-year-old spirit was the first whiskey the company made in its renovated Victorian distillery on the far west of the Atlantic Coast of Islay. It is malted from only Scottish barley, slow-fermented and cask-filled at 70 percent. Its mellow oak sweetness paired well with the fruity BellaVitano Gold, highlighting the lighter, sugary notes of the drink.

3. Port Charlotte PC7 with Carr Valley Sweet Vanilla Cardona
We learned this whisky has been sold out in Scotland for years, and that Craig had found a stash and bought it at Riley’s Liquor to take back home with him. While this heavily peated whisky was not my favorite, I found a few drops of water helped cut the smoke so the taste of the barley and craftsmanship shined through. Bruichladdich is excellent at telling the story of its product, with profiles of everyone from the barley farmer to the crofters, to the export clerk included with every bottle. This whisky paired beautifully – the best pairing of the night – with Carr Valley Sweet Vanilla Cardona, a goat’s milk cheese rubbed with sugar and infused with vanilla beans. Yum.

4.  Octomore 3/152 PPM with Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve
Branded as an iron fist in a velvet glove, this super-peated whisky about did me in. It was, however, the favorite of the whisky connoisseurs in the room. The company owner says it’s “like getting hit by a 20-foot wave that has crashed over the peat bogs of Islay.” I believe him. The Pleasant Ridge only brought out more smokiness, so while the true whisky lovers in the room loved it, in good news, the rest of us were too drunk by this time to care, and just gravitated toward more cheese. As usual, it’s hard to wrong with one of the best artisan cheeses being made in the United States.

Many thanks to Craig and all of the Ruby goers for an entertaining and educational evening. If I can swing it, I’ll be bringing Craig and his Bruichladdich artisan whiskies to a future Wisconsin Cheese Originals Festival. He’s just too entertaining not to share with my fellow cheese geeks.

cheeseunderground american cheese society, artisan cheese exchange, cheddar, chris gentine, deer creek, Wisconsin cheese

Deer Creek Cheddar

When a pair of never-heard-of-before “Deer Creek” cheeses nearly swept the highly-coveted Aged Cheddar category at the American Cheese Society awards this month, the audience grew a bit quiet as Chris Gentine of The Artisan Cheese Exchange climbed the stage to collect his ribbons.

“I felt like I could hear crickets chirping in the background as I walked up there,” said Gentine, who in the past decade has developed one of the nation’s most successful marketing and export companies for American cheesemakers looking to expand abroad.

“First off, I am not a cheesemaker and would never claim to be,” added Gentine, whose business is based in Sheyboygan, Wisconsin. “So Cabot Creamery and Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (the cheesemakers who have dominated the category for the past three years) — I really respect them. They are crafting some truly amazing American Originals.”

While Gentine may not be a cheesemaker, he is a cheese geek. A licensed cheese grader for the past 15 years, his palate is sophisticated enough to tell the difference between a Grade A and Grade AA cheddar. His new line of Deer Creek specialty Cheddars are believed to be the only Grade AA Cheddars on the retail market, and that’s no accident. No cheesemaker really wants to go through the hoops to meet the higher standard, as each batch must be personally inspected by one of a handful of official State of Wisconsin certified cheese graders.

But Gentine’s got the ambition, passion and geektoidness to make it happen. That’s why he’s spent the past three years working with Wisconsin cheesemakers, affineurs and cheese graders to develop a specialty, three-year Cheddar called Deer Creek Reserve, and that is why Deer Creek Reserve is now considered to be the best Aged Cheddar (between 2-4 years) in the nation.

Both the Deer Creek and Deer Creek Reserve are made in 40-pound blocks at the Land O’ Lakes cheese plant in Kiel, long considered to produce some of the best Cheddar in the nation. The cheese is then aged and graded by Wisconsin Aging & Grading (aptly named), specifically for Gentine.

“We pull some samples from every vat, and then the team evaluates each sample,” Gentine said. “We usually narrow it down to a smaller group, and then submit it to DATCP (WI Dept of Agriculture) for their official cheese grader to analyze. From that group, he might say only two or three meet the Grade AA standard. So those are the samples we age out. This is a process we have to go through every time to meet the Grade AA standard.”

Gentine also oversees the production of two more cheeses: 1) Deer Creek The Fawn, made in 22-pound bandaged and waxed daisy wheels by Kerry Hennig at Henning’s Cheese in Kiel (this cheese took a second in its category at this year’s ACS competition), and 2) Deer Creek Vat 17, a cocktail culture Cheddar that was originally made specifically for a customer whose business model changed and could not purchase it (this cheese took second in the Aged Cheddar category).

“The Deer Creek Vat 17 is a really unique cheese,” Gentine said. “It’s got a cocktail of cultures in it that represent some of the best global Cheddars from the United Kingdom to Canada to New Zealand. It’s an amazing cheese to watch and taste, as one culture dies off, another comes to the front and the taste completely changes. We’re lucky it peaked at the right time to win at ACS.”

So now that he has these amazing, award-winning Cheddars that heretofore no one had ever seen, how can the average person buy it? That’s a good question, Gentine says. Because the wins at ACS were a surprise, he didn’t have any of the cheese yet placed in the retail market. He’s now working with distributors and specialty stores to make it available to the public, as calls are coming in from the publicity garnered from ACS.

As for future awards and accolades for the Deer Creek cheeses, don’t expect too many. Gentine says he probably won’t enter them into the American Cheese Society competition again, because he felt awkward competing against Wisconsin cheesemakers, many of whom are his clients.

“We’ll continue to make it, sell it at retail, and I’m sure we’ll be exporting the heck out of it,” Gentine said. “But I think my time on the awards stand is done. I’ll leave those honors to the cheesemakers. They’re the ones who deserve it.”

cheeseunderground drought, goat, goat cheese, Montchevre, Wisconsin cheese

Wisconsin Dairy Goat Industry Drooping as Drought Lingers

The severe drought affecting southern Wisconsin may have a severe impact on the number of dairy goat farms left in the state by year’s end.

With a sharp increase in feed costs (due to lack of forages), and a sharp decrease in milk production (due to heat stress), dairy goat farmers are predicting a mass exodus unless the pay prices that cheese plants pay for goat’s milk are significantly increased.
“I am doing what I can, and writing to the people who buy the milk to try and deliver the message that we can’t keep going when the price we get is less than what we can make it for,” one goat producer messaged. “We all need to keep spreading the word so we can save our farms.”
A cheese processor, Montchevre in Belmont, Wis., did just that last week, temporarily bumping up the price paid for 100 pounds of goat’s milk to $33.50, up $1.50. In a statement made July 31, company president Arnaud Solandt said: “We trust this pricing adjustment will provide some sensitive relief. We also hope it will either influence other goat cheese manufacturers to do the same, or incite goat milk producers to come to Montchevre.”
While goat farmers who ship to Montchevre said they appreciated the temporary bump in pay price, others said a permanent increase in milk prices must happen if Wisconsin doesn’t want to lose the majority of its 196 licensed dairy goat farms. 
Case in point: an analysis posted on a dairy goat email list by a goat milk producer on August 1 stated dairy goat farmers need another $10 per hundredweight to bring them back to last year’s profit levels. 
 
His analysis showed the following:
  • The base price of goat milk shipped to cheese plants for 2011 was $32.19 per hundred pounds. In 2012, it has been, on average, $33.58, a 4.3 percent increase over last year.*
  • In July 2011, the milk price was $30.50 per hundred pounds. Hay, even with the Texas drought, was $150 a ton for good quality. Grain was around $330 to $340. The break even point on feed costs was 3.5 pounds of milk per goat per day. So a herd of 100 goats would have to ship 1,400 pounds of milk in four days just to cover the feed cost.
  • In July 2012, the milk price was $32. Hay is now going for $250 a ton and grain is now $400 a ton. The break even point is now 4.6 pounds of milk per goat per day. So now, a herd of 100 goats has to ship 1,840 pounds of milk in four days just to cover feed costs.**
Therefore, the dairy goat farmer said, the $1.50 temporary price bump from Montchevre is “like a 1/4 inch of rain on this drought. It helps, but it is not going to fix the problem goat producers have in staying in business.”
Another goat producer, who started milking three years ago, was forced to sell his herd on June 30 and rent out his facility to a large goat farm, just to keep making the farm loan payments. He hopes to save enough money in the next four years – if feed prices go down and the drought subsides – to build back the herd. Even with his recent loss, he thanked Montchevre for increasing the pay price last week.
“Thank God Montchevre is trying to do right by their producers, but as of this moment, nobody else is,” he said. “I am afraid I will be working for the next four years for nothing, as will a lot of other people.”
Kenny Burma, who started goat farming in 1996, retired, and then came back with a new facility, is now running a 600-goat farm in Green County. On August 3, he told the Wisconsin State Journal that a square bale of hay that cost him $45 six months ago now costs $100. Feed pellets that cost $229 a ton a year ago now cost $436.
“Is the increase from Montchevre enough? Maybe not, especially for those farmers who are recent to the business and have loans to pay,” he told veteran reporter George Hesselberg. “If you are living milk check to milk check now, you will not survive this winter.”
With roughly a third of the 196 dairy goat farms in Wisconsin estimated to be in business less than three years, it is doubtful that they – much like many Americans in this economy – are doing much more than living from pay check to pay check, after paying the bills and buying food for themselves and their animals.
Burma summed it up this way: “You have to wonder if it’s worth it. Why am I getting up at 4 a.m. every day and losing money? I could do that in Las Vegas and have a better time.”
* The average price was figured by adding up total yearly milk prices and dividing by number of pay periods.
** The total quantity of milk a goat gives each day is considerably less than that produced by a cow. A good dairy goat provides between 6 to 12 pounds of milk a day for about a 305-day lactation. In comparison, a good dairy cow provides almost five times that amount. — courtesy of UW Cooperative Extension.
cheeseunderground ACS, awards, Wisconsin cheese

ACS Best in Show 2012


In a sign that mixed-milk cheeses are slowly and surely becoming American artisanal cheesemakers’ claim to fame, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese from Washington captured the 2012 American Cheese Society Best of Show award tonight with Flagsheep, a mixed cow and sheep’s milk bandaged cheddar.

Of 1,711 cheeses entered by 254 different companies across North America, two more cheeses took top honors. Earning Runner Up Best in Show was Valley Shepherd Creamery from New Jersey with Crema de Blue, a cave-aged blue made from Jersey cow milk. Emmi Roth USA in Monroe, Wisconsin, took Second Runner Up Best in Show with its Roth Grand Cru Surchoix, an extra-aged Gruyere.

The awards ceremony highlighted the growing diversity of American artisan cheeses, with new companies from Montana to Maine earning ribbons in categories once dominated by Wisconsin cheesemakers. It was great to see cheesemakers across the United States embrace the growing artisan cheese movement.

Of course, several Wisconsin cheesemakers did very well. Perennial favorites Sid Cook of Carr Valley captured 14 awards and Francis Wall of BelGioioso Cheese was practically running laps around the auditorium trying to keep up with his company’s awards.

Here’s a look at all the 2012 ACS Blue Ribbon winners from Wisconsin:

  • Cambembert, Lactalis American Group, Belmont
  • Pastorale Blend, Sartori, Plymouth
  • Sharp Cheddar, Kraft
  • Deer Creek Reserve, The Artisan Cheese Exchange, Sheboygan
  • Billy Blue, Carr Valley Cheese, LaValle
  • Gorgonzola with Sheep’s Milk, BelGioioso, Green Bay
  • GranQueso Reserve, Emmi Roth USA, Monroe
  • Sharp Provolone Mandarino, BelGioioso Cheese, Green Bay
  • Asiago, BelGioioso Cheese, Green Bay
  • Peppercorn Feta, Klondike Cheese, Monroe
  • Colby with Jalapenos, Widmers Cheese Cellars, Theresa
  • Petit Frere with Truffles, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, Waterloo
  • Fresh Mozzarella, Prosciutto & Basil Roll, BelGioioso Cheese, Green Bay
  • Great Midwest Morel & Leek Jack, DCI Cheese, Richfield
  • Marieke Gouda Foenegreek, Holland’s Family Cheese, Thorp
  • Wellspring Cranberry Orange, Montchevre, Belmont
  • Driftless – Natural, Hidden Springs Creamery, Westby
  • Canaria, Carr Valley Cheese, LaValle
  • Goat Milk Yogurt, Montchevre, Belmont
  • Goat Butter, Nordic Creamery, Westby
  • Sharp Cheddar Spread, Carr Valley Cheese, LaValle
  • Horseradish Spread, Carr Valley Cheese, LaValle
  • Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Uplands Cheese, Dodgeville

Congratulations to all the ACS winning cheesemakers! I’m looking to celebrating with you all tomorrow night and eating your cheeses at the Festival of Cheese.

cheeseunderground ACS, american cheese society, Wisconsin cheese

On Location at ACS: Meet the Cheesemaker in Raleigh, North Carolina

It’s that time of year again, where more than 700 cheesemakers, distributors, retailers, educators and cheese geeks like me, gather to talk shop, eat cheese, and find out what’s new in the cheese world. This year, we’re in North Carolina at “Cheese Rally in Raleigh”, the theme of the 29th annual American Cheese Society conference and competition.

Thursday is my favorite day of the conference, as mid-afternoon brings the Meet the Cheesemaker event, showcasing hundreds of cheeses from dozens of companies across North America. After asking this morning’s keynote speaker Temple Grandin, noted author and expert on humane livestock handling, what her favorite cheese was (answer: blue), I set out to find her at least two new blues, and in the process, discovered a slough of new cheeses I’ll be looking for from now on.

First up: two new Gorgonzolas from two Wisconsin companies. Hmmm … is it a bit ironic that I have to travel 950 miles to discover new Wisconsin cheeses? I may be losing my touch.

1. Glacier Gorgonzola Cheese, Carr Valley Cheese in Wisconsin. A few months ago, Carr Valley owner and Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook purchased the old blue cheese factory in Linden, Wis., and renamed it Glacier Point. He’s now making all his blues there, and for the first time, is crafting a cow’s milk Gorgonzola that is to die for. Traditional and well-balanced, this Gorg has just the right amount of salt content and blue veining. Creamy, yet crumbly, it’s got enough bite to make it interesting, but not enough to turn off a blue-veined virgin.

2. Crumbly Gorgonzola, BelGioioso Cheese in Wisconsin. A blend of cow and sheep’s milk, this cheese is crafted in 15-pound wheels. Aged 90 days, it carries a full, earthy flavor and buttery finish that probably comes from the sheep’s milk. You’ll likely find it in 8 oz retail wedges soon in your local store, as it was launched into the retail market just three weeks ago.

Next up: the washed-rind revolution. Remember when you couldn’t find a decent washed-rind cheese made in America? Those days are long gone. It seems every company is coming up with a new washed-rind cheese, and many of them are downright fabulous, including the following:

3. San Geronimo, Nicasio Valley Cheese Company in California. Biting into this two-month-old stinky washed rind cheese took me back to tasting St. Nectaire Fernier for the first time in the underground aging caves at Jean d’Alos Fromager-Affineur in Bordeaux, France. Creamy, mushroomy and supple, this new cheese from the Lafranchi Family in Marin County is a winner. Marketed as a cross between a Raclette and Fontina, this cheese is more on the order of a farmhouse French cheese. If you find it in a store, buy it all, hide it in your fridge, and don’t share.

4. Alpha Tolman, Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont. Not yet on the market, this washed-rind beauty should hit retail shelves around Christmas. Currently at seven months old, this complex cheese is well on its way to becoming exceptional. Made in 20-pound wheels.

5. Wabash Erie Canal, Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese in Ohio.  At 10 months old, this Alpine style, washed-rind cheese is on the order of a traditional Gruyere, and carries notes of a Pleasant Ridge Reserve with an adjunct culture. Brian Schaltter is in his fifth year of cheesemaking, and this year’s ACS conference is his first foray into the national cheese scene. If all his future cheeses are as good as this one, I suspect we’ll see a lot more of him.

6. Glacial Lakes, Saxon Creamery in Wisconsin. This company is going through a bit of transition, having just taken on a new investment partner. Glacial Lakes is the first of what I suspect may be a new line of future cheeses. At only 98 days old, this grass-based, raw-milk cheese  cheese is creamy and buttery, with a clean dairy finish. With a little age, this cheese could be a rock star. Jerry Heimerl says he’s hoping to age a few wheels to 7 or 8 months old, which seems like an excellent idea to me.

Last but not least, more and more smaller goat dairies across the United States are handcrafting exceptional bloomy rind cheeses. These are the kinds of cheeses that don’t travel well, so if you find one in your local cheese case, by all means purchase it and enjoy it. My favorite of all these types of cheese is:

7. Three Sisters, Nettle Meadow Farm and Cheese Company in New York. This 50-acre dairy and cheesemaking company in the Southern Adirondacks milks 350 goats and 60 dairy sheep. Owners Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan craft this delicate bloomy rind cheese, made from a combination of sheep, goat and cow milks. One word: yumolicious.

Last but not least, I have to share this amazing marketing piece from the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Packaged like a matchbook, with trading cards inside depicting each individual cheese in its repertoire, this novel little gem is miniature and adorable. Created by Zoe Brickley, sales and marketing manager, the piece replaces brochures that easily become out of date, and if the company adds or drops a cheese, they simply add or subtract a cheese card from the matchbook. Zoe hopes more cheesemakers will adopt the marketing package — and already, Beehive Cheese Company has – to create a series of American cheese trading cards. Genius, sheer genius.

All photos by Uriah Carpenter.

cheeseunderground fromagination, jeanne carpenter, sara hill, Wisconsin cheese

The Cheese Geek & Cheese Guru Present Fall Class Series

Two women (spoiler alert: one of them is me) dedicated to teaching, writing, and most importantly, eating Wisconsin artisan cheeses, are teaming up to lead a fun fall class series at Fromagination in Madison.

Sara Hill, of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, whose license plate reads CHZ GURU, and me, whose license plate says CHZ GEEK, will launch our “Cheese Geek and Cheese Guru” fall class series in September.

Attendees may sign up for all three classes at $90 per person, or for each class separately at $30 per class. Class size is limited to just 15 people, making this an intimate and informal setting, perfect for asking questions. Sessions start at 7 p.m. and seats must be reserved in advance at www.wicheeseclass.com.

The Cheese Geek and Cheese Guru Fall Session at Fromagination includes:

Tuesday, Sept. 25: Best Cheeses in America
Having just returned from the 2012 American Cheese Society Conference, Sara and I will bring back five of the best new cheeses made in America. Attendees will taste five award-winning cheeses from around the country, learn their stories, and get the opportunity to purchase up to one-half pound of each to take home.

Thursday, Oct. 4: Ocktoberfest, Wisconsin Style
Who does craft beer and artisan cheese better than Wisconsin? No one. Attendees will taste four Wisconsin craft beers, expertly paired with four Wisconsin artisan cheeses, hearing the behind-the-scenes-stories of each beer and cheese.

Wednesday, Nov 14: European Vs. Wisconsin Cheeses
Old World favorites vs. New World upstarts: attendees will judge whether Wisconsin cheesemakers are holding their own, or may we daresay winning, the race in crafting world-class original cheeses. Attendees will taste eight cheeses, four European and four Wisconsin, hearing the stories of each, with the opportunity to purchase each at evening’s end.

I look forward to seeing you at the classes!

cheeseunderground goat's milk, Roelli Cheese, Wisconsin cheese

Ziege Zacke Blue

Two of the fastest rising star cheesemakers – one specializing in goat’s milk cheeses, the other in signature cheddar blues – jointly released a new cheese this week that’s about to shake up the Wisconsin artisan cheese community.

Photo by Uriah Carpenter

Christened Ziege Zacke Blue (say zeegy zacky) by a group of Chicago chefs that enjoyed it so much, one night they started singing old German folk tunes while eating it, (Ziege means “goat” in German, Zacke means “wave” — thus a “Goat Cheese with a Wave of Blue”) the cheese is patterned after a Dry Jack, is part cow’s milk, part goat’s milk, and is cave-aged.

Wonderfully creamy, with a slight tang at the front and a sweetness on the finish, it boasts some extraordinarily rich earthy and bluesy notes I have never before tasted.

It’s almost as if Cheesemakers Chris Roelli of Roelli Cheese and Katie Hedrich of LaClare Farms thought of all the current cool buzzwords in the cheese industry and then created a cheese to encompass them all.

The amazing part? They succeeded.

Ziege Zacke Blue, with its crazy catchy name, is made twice a month at Roelli Cheese in Shullsburg. Hedrich hauls her family’s goat milk to the plant, and she and Chris spend a day crafting the original cheese by hand. Chris then ages it in his caves, and Katie markets it under the LaClare Farms Specialties label. Well, at least she will, as soon as there’s enough to sell. The cheese is just now aging out to perfection, and with limited quantities to start with, will likely only ever be for sale in select retail stores in Wisconsin.

While I had heard rumors the cheesemaking pair were working on a collaborative cheese, I didn’t know it was actually finished until I stopped by Fromagination yesterday to pick up cheese for my 2012 Wisconsin Artisan Cheese Series. There, sitting in all its glory on top of the cheese counter was a cheese called “Blue Jack,” described as creamy with a subtle blue taste, made by Chris Roelli and Katie Hedrich.

I bought a pound and then sent both cheesemakers an email with a big question mark. In typical humble Wisconsin form, Chris answered: “Katie would be the best to talk about the zz. It was kinda her idea, I just developed it and made it.” Yeah, that’s all, just developed and made it, you know, no biggee.

Luckily, Katie also answered, and elaborated with more detail. She said the combination actually came about at the 2011 Wisconsin Cheese Originals festival in Madison last November. 


“Chris asked me when I was going to start making a goat milk blue. I responded: ‘whenever Chris Roelli wants to’. Needless to say, I took a load of milk down to him on Dec. 9th and we made our first batch. We are now making one to two batches a month and having a blast with it.”

So will everyone who is lucky enough to try it. Welcome, Ziege Zacke Blue to the Wisconsin artisan cheese community. Here’s hoping you never leave.