These cheeses are now 66 days old and have been in affinage at 11-13C and 75-85% humidity for 60 days. Having purchased myself a lovely, fancy cheese iron while in the UK, I thought I'd test these to see what they're doing. A photo of the result is attached.
These were covered in white fuzzy mould while I was away, and I brushed them down gently with a pastry brush as I had the first time. This time however, 12 days after their brushing, they've remained a bit wet on the surface, improving with daily turning and leaving the lid of their minicave container in the esky they're aging in. The paste is creamy with the expected cheddar tones, and there is a light blueing in the inside paste. It tastes of stilton but mildly.
Caldwell's affinage instructions say to now keep the cheese for up to 6 months at 7C. I can't manage that. I can do 13C or 4C in my kitchen fridge. I actually can't eat these because of their fat content so I'm waiting for my husband to come and eat them. That won't be for another month or two. I'm trying to decide at the moment whether to re-pierce them and keep them at 13C to see whether they'll become less slimy on the surface, or whether to pop them in the fridge for slower maturation.
Does anyone have experiences to share that might help me make a decision? We like a strong flavour to stilton.