Author Topic: Tasting Limburger  (Read 2359 times)

Offline Boofer

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Tasting Limburger
« on: February 21, 2017, 07:10:28 AM »
I was strolling through my market the other day and this little cheese caught my eye. I walked on past but then was drawn back to pick it up.

I have never tasted Limburger and I have to admit I was a little bit intimidated by the Limburger Legend. I cut the end piece off and then one more slice, which I sampled. I replaced the end piece and rewrapped the cheese.

The little slice I sampled was very tame, not smelly, and didn't possess much character at this point. This appears to be a very young Limburger. The foil packaging shows "best before February 21, 2017", but I'm marking February 19th as the starting point for this tasting evaluation. Up to this point it has been refrigerated, but I'm placing it into the cave @ 52F/11C to encourage it to develop its character.

If I go by the "bold" gauge on the foil packaging, I should expect some enhanced ripening within the next 6 weeks. We'll see. C'mon Limburger, show me what you've got! 8)

I must admit I have produced some fairly heady washed rind cheeses in the past so my palate might be slightly jaded: Esrom #3 , Esrom #4.

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« Last Edit: February 21, 2017, 07:17:15 AM by Boofer »
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Offline Al Lewis

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2017, 02:28:37 PM »
As with Stilton and many other cheeses they are shipped prior to being ripe.  I suspect that is the case here.
« Last Edit: February 21, 2017, 09:16:47 PM by Al Lewis »
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Offline Boofer

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2017, 07:10:18 PM »
they are shipped prior to being shipped.
???

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Offline awakephd

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2017, 09:10:29 PM »
maybe "shipped prior to being ripe"? :)

Is the foil wrapping one that will let the cheese breathe?
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Offline Boofer

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2017, 06:02:25 PM »
No, the foil wrap is for shipping...not for continued aging. The "best before" date showed just a couple days before the cheese would be optimal. Rather confusing.

I had to move it back into the big, colder fridge because it really started to get soft.

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AnnDee

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2017, 07:03:36 PM »
Have you tried more? How's the taste now?
Is the smell stronger or milder than Munster?
Sorry I keep on asking everyone about the smell, I am considering making Munster (or Limburger) but I am worried everyone in my house will protest the smell.

Offline Gregore

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2017, 07:38:39 AM »
I bought a linberger over here on the left coast from one of our cheese monger type places and it was horrible
(and I like a good stinky cheese  ) ,but I assume the store just sold it to me way past its date of social acceptance.


It also had a more commercial feel to the curd that an artisan cheese.

Kind of like the port salute here in USA  , it just seems so fake with its spray on tan (  orange rind) 


Offline Boofer

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2017, 06:19:08 AM »
Okay, so last Sunday was the two week mark...time for another gustatory and olfactory check.  ;)

This Limburger cheese hasn't developed much character at this point. I decided to do a completely objective comparison with a wedge of my Muenster #2 and washed rind Fourme d'Ambert #6. The FdA showed more flavor and appeal than either of the others. To be fair, the Muenster is ripening very nicely and should deliver a robust tasting in several weeks. Its bouquet is beginning to mature. :P

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Offline Boofer

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2017, 10:42:45 PM »
Well, this cheese with the malodorous reputation so far is failing to challenge my senses. Perhaps I have just selected a bland variation of this style. In another two weeks the cheese wrapper promises BOLD flavor. We'll see. :-\

The pic pairs the little Limburger slice with my Muenster #2 and some fruit & crackers.

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Offline awakephd

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #9 on: March 20, 2017, 03:52:01 PM »
The Muenster sure looks good. The Limburger ... not so much. It may already have been mentioned above, but I have found myself consistently disappointed with the bloomies that I have bought;* they seem to use a stabilized formulation that stays way too stabilized. Maybe the same thing is true of this Limburger ... ?

*Note that I have had one really good bloomy, given to me as a gift, from Murray's Cheese Shop - that one was the "real thing"! But anything I've found in the deli section of my local supermarkets, even at upscale prices, has been disappointing. :( Yes, I know - the wrong place to shop for good cheese. But there's not exactly a lot of cheese shops here in rural eastern NC. Western NC, on the other hand, has some well-known dairies - I need to spend some time sampling up there to see what I can find ...
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Offline Gregore

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2017, 03:07:00 AM »
Americans in general do not like cheeses that go soft ,  thankfully it is changing

So almost all imports  from anywhere to here are stabilized curds

That's why triple creams are so common on the shelf , they can actually charge extra for that cream ( stabilizer )

It's an up sell , where as the curd manipulation way of stabilizing is more work and there is no up sell  so no extra money for the extra work .


Offline Boofer

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2017, 06:38:38 AM »
This will be the final installment for this tasting. My highly subjective opinion is that Limburger has unjustly acquired a "bad" reputation as a smelly, slightly unsavory cheese style. It's just a washed rind cheese style. There are many.

I once had a commercial Esrom that was pretty funky. The aroma and flavor was more along the lines of what I expected in this Limburger. I posted pics of it so you can see the truly washed rind character.

Matched once again with my Muenster #2, the lackluster Limburger misses the mark. :(

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Duntov

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #12 on: April 23, 2017, 12:52:03 AM »
I also found some 'Amish' made Limburger in my local Publix market.  Having read this thread, I decided to give it a try.  It was quite creamy and tasted very nice.  However my wife and daughter went screaming and running from the kitchen in horror when they smelled the cheese.

Little did they know that today I used the Limburger along with some Gouda to make them grilled cheese sandwiches kicked up with shaved ham.  They said it was the best they ever had.  I couldn't bring myself to fess up and did smile at them in amusement.

5ittingduck

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #13 on: April 23, 2017, 07:39:33 AM »
I applaud your underhanded behavior.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Tasting Limburger
« Reply #14 on: April 23, 2017, 02:04:34 PM »
They said it was the best they ever had.  I couldn't bring myself to fess up and did smile at them in amusement.
It's all in the "presentation". Congrats, John, on a fine marketing effort. 8)

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