Unless you’re an expert cheese monger or avid cheese connoisseur, shopping for cheese can be a confusing ordeal. There are many cheese varieties and Wisconsin cheese is no different. There are basically eight classifications for Wisconsin cheese as used by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, which we will summarize here. In future cheese blog postings, we will get into more details on each variety and offer pairing suggestions and recipes.

Soft Fresh Cheese – A category of cheeses with high moisture content that are typically direct set (What?? Direct set = A cheese in which lactic acid culture instead of rennet is used to “direct set” or coagulate the milk). Cheeses in this category include Cottage cheese, Cream cheese and Neufchatel, Feta, Mascarpone, Ricotta, and Queso Blanco.

Soft-Ripened Cheese – A classification of cheese based upon body. Brie and Camembert are examples of soft-ripened cheese varieties.

Blue-Veined Cheese – A characteristic of cheese varieties that develop blue or green streaks of harmless, flavor-producing mold throughout the interior. Generally, veining gives cheese an assertive and piquant flavor. Famous varieties include Bleu, Gorgonzola and Stilton.®

Semi-Soft Cheese – A wide variety of cheeses made with whole milk. Cheeses in this category include Monterey Jack, Brick, Muenster, Fontina and Havarti, and melt well when cooked.

Semi-Hard Cheese – A classification of cheese based upon body. Cheddar, Colby, Edam and Gouda are examples of semi-hard cheese varieties.

Pasta Filata – Translated literally from Italian, to spin paste or threads. Pasta Filata refers to a type of cheese where curds are heated and then stretched or kneaded before being molded into the desired shape. The resulting cheese has great elasticity and stretches when cooked or melted. Cheeses in this family include Mozzarella, Provolone and String Cheese.

Hard Cheese – A classification of cheese varieties exhibiting a relatively inelastic and unyielding texture like Cheddar and Swiss. Federal Standards of Identity state that firm cheeses have a maximum moisture content of 34% and a minimum milkfat content of 50%.

Process Cheese – A blend of fresh and aged natural cheeses that have been shredded, mixed, and heated (cooked) with an addition of an emulsifier salt, after which no further ripening occurs. Cold packed cheeses, such as West Allis Cheese & Sausage Cheese Spreads, are a blend made from different batches of cheeses the same variety, or two or more varieties of mild and sharp natural cheese that have been ground. Unlike processed cheese, Cold Pack is not heat-treated nor cooked at the time of packaging.

So, where do Cheese Curds fit in? That’s exactly what we’ll talk about in our next blog posting to help make you savvy on Wisconsin Cheese.

One of our customers shared his memories of Liederkranz Cheese with us and we thought you would enjoy hearing it to. Thank you Tom for sharing it with us.

“Have you ever read the history of this product? It is very interesting. The cheese factory where this was made was just 6 blocks from my childhood home of Van Wert Ohio. (I still live in Van Wert County) The factory (Borden’s) at the time was the largest cheese factory in the world. Liederkranz was just a small portion of their production. It is now completely gone. When the production of this cheese was moved to Van Wert in the 1920s they could not get it to ripen. The master cheese maker figured there must be bacteria in the wooden walls back in New York that was needed for the cheese to ripen, so they tore out the walls in New York and shipped them to Van Wert. Once installed in the curing room the cheese began to ripen properly.
 
In my childhood, I remember the steam power plant at the factory blew a loud whistle every day at noon that could be heard all over town. That was my automatic signal for me to stop playing and get home for lunch.
 
The boxes for this product were hand assembled. They were a 2 piece box with a wood top and bottom with cardboard sides with vent holes. My great grandfather when he retired from the railroad took on the part time job of assembling the boxes in the basement of his home. Bordens supplied the material and he would make enough for a weeks production every Monday. He did this for several years, but died before my birth in 1954.
 
My grandfather was one of the many farmers in the area that sold milk to Bordens for their cheese production. I did get to tour the plant and see how this cheese was made. There was a lot of hand work involved including dipping it in brine as part of the process along with proper placement on the curing racks. There was no automation to speak of on the process. The cheese process was sold to another company but they were never able to get it right as there are untold process secrets only known to the master cheese maker. I personally know the last living master cheese maker. He told me he had been contacted on a few occasions from companies wanting him to help make the cheese in the 25 years it has been out of production, but their offers were never enough to meet his salary requirements. Which begs the question how are there making this cheese? I have not talked to him for several years. I will have to investigate further…
 
Well I have bored you enough. I will be looking forward to my first of what will be many orders to come from your company. Thanks, Tom”

On the contrary, Tom, we were not bored in the least. And for anyone wanting more information… Liederkranz is being made in Monroe Wisconsin at the Chalet Cheese Co-op.  They are the only cheese manufacturer in the United States to produce Limburger and since Leiderkranz is a cousin of Limburger who better to produce it. DCI bought the rights to the Leiderkranz recipe (I don’t know from who) and has licensed Chalet to make.

Wisconsin is known as the Dairy State and the state where every small town has a bar on every corner, so it’s only natural for us to put cheese and beer together! It’s Wisconsin at its best.

Recently, West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe did just that at their Hops and Cheese Event held at the Milwaukee Public Market. They paired Wisconsin cheeses with what else? …Wisconsin brewed beer. It’s no surprise it was a sold out event and all proceeds went to Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force.

They paired:

• Carr Valley’s Airco, Casa Bolo Mellage, Creama Kasa, Benedictine, and Cranberry Chipotle with Lienenkugel Honey Weiss and Blue Moon Honeymoon Summer Ale
• Sierra Nevada Kellerweis and Summerfest Lager with Roth Kase’s (Sugar Brook Farms) Creamy Havarti, Roth Private Reserve, and Moody Blue
• Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Summer Ale with Red Barn rBGH-Free Heritage Weis Old-World Style Cheddar
• BelGioioso’s Aged Provolone and Peperoncino with Fixed Gear (an American Red Ale) and Local Acre Lager from Lakefront Brewery
• Seymour Dairy’s Ader Kase Reserve and Crocker Hill Organic, two blues, with Supper Club and I think Pale Ale from Capital Brewery.

To be honest, this was my first event of this type and I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot to record the individual beers down, so I am going by memory. Maybe I tasted a few too many.

Anyway, I was surprised to find out my favorite cheese for the night was Roth Kase’s Moody Blue. Whereas all the cheeses were tasty, I was just surprised that I liked a blue so much. I’ve never been much of a blues person, but Moody Blue with it’s delicate smoked flavor impacted my taste buds in a way I didn’t expect. I actually went back for seconds. It’s a good introduction to blue cheese and maybe someday, I will become a die hard blue cheese fan like so many others I know.

If you were at the event or even if you weren’t, which are your favorites? I’d love to hear from you.

Okay, so you probably already heard Wisconsin has great cheese because we have a lot of cows that eat fresh grass in the middle of nowhere. Well, that’s actually correct except the middle of nowhere part. Wisconsin is a beautiful state that offers a wide variety of cultural experiences in which one just happens to include a long, rich history in milking cows and making cheese. In fact, Wisconsin cheeses come from a heritage of over 160 years of quality and craftsmanship. But aside from that, you can be sure the quality of your Wisconsin cheese is exceptional because of the stringent standards Wisconsin cheese manufactures adhere to.

Wisconsin adopted the Federal Standards of Identity from the FDA for cheese products to assure uniform standards in the interstate shipment of cheese. These Standards of Identity describe the major varieties of cheese and identify the procedures by which they are manufactured, the ingredients they may contain, and their moisture and milkfat.

In order to ensure the Wisconsin cheese you buy is the quality you expect and deserve, only cheesemakers licensed by the state may oversee the production of cheese in Wisconsin. Cheesemakers must be knowledgeable in many different areas including the mathematical problems of practical dairying (whoever thought math was related to cows?)

To carry on the quest for excellence, an ambitious and rigorous advanced Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Certification Program was established in 1994, the only Master program outside of Europe. The apprenticeship assures that those receiving the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certification embody the skill and passion for cheesemaking that is Wisconsin’s greatest heritage. Once cheesemakers achieve Master status for a cheese variety, they can designate on their labels that the cheese has been made by a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker. It’s your assurance of the highest quality of cheese you can buy.

As early as 1921, Wisconsin instituted quality grades for the major varieties Wisconsin produced including American types, Monterey Jack, Brick, Muenster, and Swiss and became the only state to mandate cheese grading for these products. Factors that determine cheese grades are flavor, body and texture, color, and finish and appearance. This further ensures the quality and consistency of Wisconsin cheese.

Today’s consumers are demanding quality and safety in the foods they eat. Cheese and dairy products from Wisconsin have a strong reputation for safety, quality, and value, thanks to dedicated efforts of our dairy producers, manufacturers and marketers. But the quest for improved food safety programs continues as the Wisconsin dairy industry works together to enhance and assure safety and quality of our dairy products at every link – from our farms all the way to the consumer’s table.

Product quality is the cornerstone of Wisconsin’s cheesemaking heritage. Wisconsin set the highest standards for cheesemaking in the United States, and they remain unsurpassed today. So when you buy Wisconsin cheese, you know you’re getting the finest cheese available and it’s not just because of the cows.

Congratulations to all of the winners at this year’s World Championship Cheese Contest, the largest international cheese and butter competition in the world (www.worldchampioncheese.org).

Wisconsin won 73 awards; almost one-third of all the awards handed out, 21 of them gold medal Best of Class distinctions! Of the remaining U.S. states with contest entries, New York won six Best of Class, with Idaho earning five and California, four. Wisconsin also surpassed the international competition with Canada and the Netherlands each winning five Best of Class awards, followed by Denmark with four.

It just goes to show Wisconsinites will remain Cheeseheads for years to come!

Following are some of the award winners we carry on our website (www.wacheese-gifts.com) that we know you will enjoy.  Taste them and let us know what you think. Do they deserve the award they received?

If you’d like to purchase any of them marked with a “(C)” from one of our store locations, please call first to verify availability: West Allis location 414-543-4230 and Milwaukee Public Market 414-289-8333. All the “C”s are on order and we should receive them by Tuesday, April 13. If there are any we don’t have at one of our locations, we’ll make sure to bring it in for you upon request.   

Marieke Penterman of Holland's Family Cheese

In 2002, Marieke Penterman moved from the Netherlands to the States with her husband Rolf to start a dairy farm in Thorp, Wisconsin. Both grew up on dairy farms back in The Netherlands and farming can be traced back several generations in their families. Soon enough, Marieke and Rolf started missing the traditional cheese from their home country and after visiting family members complained that they could hardly fit any clothes in their bags because they had to carry so much cheese with them, Marieke decided to start making her own cheese. She got her cheesemaker’s license in Wisconsin and visited several cheese plants in The Netherlands to observe how the traditional gouda is made. From the recipes she learned there, she created her own unique recipe for the Marieke Gouda.

The cheese company, Holland’s Family Cheese, opened its doors end of 2006 and quickly became successful, winning awards at the national and world level. At the 2010 World Cheese Contest Marieke Gouda won two awards! Everything is made at the farm: there is a pipeline straight from the milking room to the cheese vat and whole cow’s milk is turned into cheese within five hours of milking. The freshness of the milk gives the cheese its incredible full flavor. After the cheese has been pressed into its round shape and put into a brine bath for 60 hours, the wheels are carefully aged in a special curing cellar on wooden planks.

Marieke Gouda is a raw milk product and aged for a minimum of 60 days. At that young age, the cheese is very smooth and the flavor becomes more complex and a little sharper as it ages. Plain Marieke Gouda is available up to over two years now and Marieke has added a variety flavored gouda varieties to her assortment like Cumin, Clove, Pesto Basil, Black Pepper Mix, or the popular Foenegreek (a seed called foenegreek gives the cheese a slightly sweet, nutty flavor).

The Holland's Family Cheese Group

You can find more information about Marieke Gouda at www.hollandsfamilycheese.com. If you ever make it up north near Thorp, stop by the farm where you can sample all different gouda varieties and see how the cheese is made. Until then, come enjoy this farmstead artisanal gouda at West Allis Cheese, www.wacheese-gifts.com!

Mark and Linda Lutz

On behalf of Linda, myself, and West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe we are excited to welcome you to our new blog page. West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe is a family owned specialty cheese shop that has been in business for the last 45 years. We are excited about the future of this whole social networking phenomenon and felt that the time is right to start a blog.

Customers have voted us Milwaukee’s Best Cheese Shop two years in a row. We pride ourselves on our service, and the largest selection of Wisconsin cheeses anywhere between 300 and 500 varieties at any given time.

We have two locations, our original store is located on the corner of 69^th and Becher Street in the city of West Allis and our second store is located in the Milwaukee Public Market at 400 N Water Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In addition to our stores, we also have a complete product offering on our internet site www.wacheese-gifts.com and ship products all over the country.

Enough about us, we wanted to start a blog page so we could hear from you and share your experiences and stories with our customers and friends. So please send us an interesting blog, perhaps on a cheese you ate while traveling abroad, cheese factory tour, recipes and pairings, or anything else of cheesy interest.

Or you can just drop in from time to time and read the blogs, respond, or simply find out when we will be hosting another fun event.

Hope to hear from you in the future.