Author Topic: Yeast smell  (Read 2497 times)

j-bon3

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Yeast smell
« on: June 13, 2015, 06:44:07 AM »
So... firstly I am brand new to the forum and brand new to cheese making. My wife has gotton me a basic kit as we both enjoy cheese but good cheeses are hard to find where we live (like not even a cheddar or gouda available). I have done some reading and know that precision is key but also I tried to  make do with what is available and learn as I go along.
So the first try was supposed to be an instant "soft cheese" but because heavy cream is also not available we decided on a semi-hard cheese- Jack cheese from the book 'artisan cheese making at home' by Mary Kalin. Instead of cows's milk we used pasturised full cream buffalo milk which is the most accessible here. The cheese is a cooked curd method and the starter culture used was a meophyl MA 101 (1 packet) and about 1.7 gallons of milk. During the cooking I did stray a few degrees above the recipe 110 farenheit (recommended was 104 farenheit) for a few minutes (our kid was uber busy that day in the kitchen- turn ur back for a second...)

So after the salt rub the cheese was air dried on a rack for 1 day (temp was a bit warm) but it did not really expell oil, although the sides got drier than the top and bottom. Now it has been in a ripening box in the fridge for 4 days, the cheese is not really too moist on the surface, but there is condensation on the box and the temp is around 55 degrees. But i have noticed the smell of yeast inside the box but no mould really. Is the environment too moist? is my cheese contaminated? (we don't make bread so no yeast lying around). Are these harder rind sections ok? how long should i keep it in there? (was planning on 4 weeks) Will the cheese still taste good? as we saving a bottle of wine just for a cheese tasting here...

Offline Andrew Marshallsay

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Re: Yeast smell
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2015, 08:58:54 AM »
Hi J-Bon. Welcome to the forum and welcome to cheese making.
A few observations on your concerns:
    While precision is important, we all have lapses in concentration every now and then. Usually this is not disasterous.
    That being said, 110F is rather high for a mesophilic culture and could be a problem although, if it was only for a brief time, you could be OK.
    I would not expect a cheese to expell oil.
    The Temperature sounds right and a little condensation shouldn't be a problem if the surface of the cheese is not wet and you are not getting moisture in the bottom of the container. If that should happen, you can open the lid a little to reduce humidity.
    I don't think the dry patches sound like a problem and, similarly, the smell doesn't sound like a cause for concern. I would certainly not assume that your cheese is contaminated.
    Four weeks sounds quite short. I am not familiar with Jack but your recipe should give you an indication of how long to age it for. If you want a shorter aging cheese a Caerphilly might be worth considering: ready in as little as 3 weeks.
I would suggest sticking with it and seeing how it progresses.
Good Luck
- Andrew

j-bon3

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Re: Yeast smell
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2015, 09:17:15 AM »
Thanks so much... i suppose paranoia is also a real problem especially for beginners as the exitement is also high, I will watch the temp on the next batch more carefully. As to the aging time, the recipe calls for 2-6 weeks so i'm not sure if i should go for a bit longer but also i would like to taste test as part of my learning process. However, can this be done for 6 weeks plus?? if so should i alter any maturing procedures as the recipe calls for daily flipping and no other additions, such as washing, salt rubbing, oil coating/rubbing etc??

Much appreciated!!
Jason

Offline Tiarella

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Re: Yeast smell
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2015, 10:30:17 AM »
Hi Jason!  Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here.  :). Is your cheese resting on the bottom of your container or is it somehow held up off the bottom?  I've even just used some jar lids to keep the cheese up off the bottom if I don't have anything else but definitely do it somehow.   Also it can be helpful to dry the inside of the box daily with a clean cloth. Many folks let their cheese out to air out a bit daily and that might help also with your situation. Is it very humid there now?  You might try airing it out for 30-60 minutes a day and dry and air out the box at the same time. Try to do it when you don't expect a lot of swirling dusts, yeasts, etc such as when cleaning house or windy day with windows open etc.  also, don't think you have to do it everyday even.....just do it when it fits into your schedule. Bet you didn't expect aging cheese to be almost like having a pet! 

A nice source of video tutorials for beginners is www.littlegreencheese.com.  He's got both photo and video tutorials. A nice cheese for you to experiment with might be the Welsh miner's cheese called Caerphilly. It can be aged for 3 weeks or up to a year or so and is good pretty much all along the way plus since you get to eat it fairly soon you can assess how your make went. PLUS.....you can keep the rind clean, go with a natural artisanal rind or do very cool stuff like smearing with a thick mixture of coconut oil and smoked paprika, cocoa powder, or other ground spices. I experimented with just using coconut oil as a way to keep a rind clean of molds and it works well. My experience taught me to add more coconut oil a few times if it appeared too thin in certain areas and if I saw mold I just massaged it away. Leaves can be decoupaged on with coconut oil for flavor or decoration. (Obviously only edible leaves).

Caerphilly was the first hard cheese I made and I kept on making it even as I branched out into other cheeses partly because it's easy, tasty, versatile and can seem like many different types of cheese depending upon what you do to the rind. I'll also go find a cool and very simple Brie tutorial for you that can be made without the need for special molds. I'll post a link here for you when I find it.


qdog1955

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Re: Yeast smell
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2015, 10:37:12 AM »
Welcome to the forum-----hang in there and see what happens-----you didn't mention if it's raw milk, in U.S. 2 month aging is the norm.
  Once again I am going to recommend you try a Queso Fresco  cheese. It is a great cheese to learn the basics and can be eaten the next day and you can use raw milk----this recipe is a pretty good one http://www.cheesemaking.com/QuesoFresco.html
Let us know how you make out.
Qdog

j-bon3

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Re: Yeast smell
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2015, 12:02:30 PM »
Tanks a mil guys,
i will definitely make use of the advise and also try those cheeses next. The air here is seemingly dry although it reaches about 116 deg farenheit outside in summer (now) so that's relative. Inside i try to maintain around 77-85. hope all will go well but from my job, which is research related, i find that as much can be learned from failures as successes. I will also check out the links and will post pics and comments when the cheese is ready... 2 months it is then. ;D