Beer-washed rind wrapped in hop leaves

[StuartDunstan]

So this was only my second attempt at a washed rind, after the first was a complete failure and never developed the orange colour or "stink" of a washed rind. This time, it still took a very long time for the b.linens to get going -- I think it was around 4 weeks before I got any orange splotches appearing! So yeah, it was slow to get going, but eventually got there.

The inspiration for this cheese came from two places. The first is a pinot-washed cheese that is wrapped in vine leaves, called Oen and made by Bruny Island Cheese Co. It's one of my favourite cheeses. The other inspiration came after I discovered hop leaves are edible. And from there, my love of beer and cheese came together.

I've just wrapped up my cheeses in the hop leaves this past weekend after washing the cheese for about 5 weeks. Will now leave them for a couple more weeks and see how they go.

[Al Lewis]

A beautiful effort!!! AC4U for daring!!

[cindybman]

That is so cool and clever!  I'm very new to cheese making and I am guessing the hop leaves will add taste?  What kind of taste will they impart on the cheese?  I'm anxious to find out how the cheese turns out! Please let us know.

[StuartDunstan]

That is so cool and clever!  I'm very new to cheese making and I am guessing the hop leaves will add taste?  What kind of taste will they impart on the cheese?  I'm anxious to find out how the cheese turns out! Please let us know.

The hop leaves won't add much in the way of flavour. They do have a slight "hoppy" taste, but it's not much. Mostly the leaves are there because it looks cool and I think wrapping a washed rind will help develop the bacteria working away on the rind. It's the first time I've done it though, so I'm in the dark at this stage!

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Looks good with and without the leaves and I will be interested to hear the result. What recipe did you use?
I suppose that apart from anything else the leaves will help to maintain high humidity close to the surface.
A cheese for your spirit of adventure.

[John@PC]

So this was only my second attempt at a washed rind, after the first was a complete failure and never developed the orange colour or "stink" of a washed rind. This time, it still took a very long time for the b.linens to get going -- I think it was around 4 weeks before I got any orange splotches appearing! So yeah, it was slow to get going, but eventually got there.

Did your incorporate b.linens in your beer wash?   I'm still trying to learn the nuances of beer / wine / etc. washes but every time I put a pinch of b.linens in anything it goes orange pretty quick. 

[StuartDunstan]

Looks good with and without the leaves and I will be interested to hear the result. What recipe did you use?
I suppose that apart from anything else the leaves will help to maintain high humidity close to the surface.
A cheese for your spirit of adventure.

I just used a camembert recipe, omitting the white mould, but adding b.linens. Though I think I might try a different recipe next time, as it has taken a very long time to ripen and soften up.

Thanks for the cheese!

[StuartDunstan]

So this was only my second attempt at a washed rind, after the first was a complete failure and never developed the orange colour or "stink" of a washed rind. This time, it still took a very long time for the b.linens to get going -- I think it was around 4 weeks before I got any orange splotches appearing! So yeah, it was slow to get going, but eventually got there.

Did your incorporate b.linens in your beer wash?   I'm still trying to learn the nuances of beer / wine / etc. washes but every time I put a pinch of b.linens in anything it goes orange pretty quick.

Yeah, I put it both in the milk and in the wash. I even bought a new batch from a different supplier this time, just in case the last one was no good. Obviously there's something I'm doing/not doing that is making it hard for the b.linens to do its thing.

[Stinky]

I just used a camembert recipe, omitting the white mould, but adding b.linens. Though I think I might try a different recipe next time, as it has taken a very long time to ripen and soften up.

Thanks for the cheese!

I'd guess this is because PC softens cheese faster than linens.

[StuartDunstan]

I just used a camembert recipe, omitting the white mould, but adding b.linens. Though I think I might try a different recipe next time, as it has taken a very long time to ripen and soften up.

Thanks for the cheese!

I'd guess this is because PC softens cheese faster than linens.

So any ideas what would be a good culture to add that would soften it up and get it all gooey faster? That's kind of the result I was looking for.

[Stinky]

Mm.... PC? 

If you just want a fast soft gooey cheese I'd suggest Coloumierrs. I think that's how it's written?

But linens?

Hm. I'm really not an expert on cultures. I do know you can make smeared-rind cheeses that ripen and get soft fairly quickly, but I don't think you want that either.

You should ask Sailor con Queso or someone like that. I'd be interested to know.

[Mermaid]

This is so cool!!! Great inspiration. A cheese for you!

[Al Lewis]

Looks good with and without the leaves and I will be interested to hear the result. What recipe did you use?
I suppose that apart from anything else the leaves will help to maintain high humidity close to the surface.
A cheese for your spirit of adventure.

I just used a camembert recipe, omitting the white mould, but adding b.linens. Though I think I might try a different recipe next time, as it has taken a very long time to ripen and soften up.

Thanks for the cheese!

What you did was to make epoisse.  It's a washed rind cheese that will soften.  But it is washed with cognac.

[StuartDunstan]

Just thought I'd share an update on this cheese. The original batch was four, and the one pictured below is my last one. It's about 10 weeks old now, has a really nice stink to it, and tastes sublime. It's not super gooey, but it has softened up nicely. The hop leaves have really become part of the cheese, and have obviously been colonised by the bacteria and been broken down slightly.

In short, this experiment has been an absolute winner. I still have some hop leaves in the freezer so will be trying this again soon. The only changes I might make are to use a stronger flavoured beer, and perhaps to soak the hop leaves in the beer before wrapping.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Magnificent!
A cheese for your cheese.