aging troubles

[jaghoss]

It's been a while since my last post. I've been having real success with my cheddar varieties, (I'll get some pic's posted in the next day or two.) and I couldn't be happier with that, but the last couple of wheels of Colby I've opened, (I use wax for aging) I've found excess moisture inside the wax and the cheese is dry and crumbly. There doesn't seem to be any rotting or other damage to the cheese. The moisture is almost like water, but it isn't, it's almost like a very, very light oil. The cheese smells fine, and doesn't taste bad. I age my wheels in a "cave" kept at 55 F, and about 75-80% humidity.
 ???Any thoughts?

[Fritz]

Hey Jaghoss,
It's tricky to diagnose a dry crumbly cheese without some ph readings before salting. Most likely, your cheddar's  ph bottomed out during pressing. Maybe left the drained resting curd too long. I'm Canadian, but still an aspiring cheddar maker, lol... I'm looking forward to what other board users figure what the oily substance may be ... I've seen leaky cheeses under wax before but it was whey... All the best 

[jaghoss]

Fritz,
What caused the whey to leak under the wax in the cheeses you've seen? I've read a little about late acid development and I am thinking this might be the culprit. 

[jaghoss]

Fritz,
I forgot to include, the curd ph just before salting is good. It read about 5.5. After coming out of the press, the cheese has excellent texture and smell, although I haven't checked the ph at that point.

[Fritz]

Exactly that ... Late fermentation... If it happens again try fresh cultures and verify your culture blend and amount. Cooking temp also causes dry crumbly cheeses... Too long or too hot (too cool?) stirring time.
Acid developes in the press also. Check your cheese now.. What is its ph?
It's usually not press time or weight that causes dry crumbly cheese. Although I've seen some crazy press times, I usually press my cheeses a bit more lightly than most recipes I've seen and get a good stitch and acid development ... I've made a few dry crumbly ones too ... So don't feel bad, lol.