Just opened a gouda which has no taste resemblance to gouda

[Waitawa Farm Cheesemaking]

There was a small amount of water under the wax, I followed rikki carrolls gouda recipe, I don't understabd instead of a sweet taste it is quite "strong" hubby didn't like it at all, I don't know what type of cheese I could compare it to, but, very strong in flavour and perhaps slightly bitter? I aged it for 2 months not 3-4 as per her instructions- is this the reason? too young? any suggestions appreciated

[Zoey]

Could you give some more information? Like did you record any offsteps from Ricki's recipe? When did you wax the cheese? How was the texture? Dry, crumbly, soft, rubbery? Large or small holes in it? Did you have any problems during aging? Unwanted mold growth or similar?

Was the strong taste still pleasant, or did it taste spoiled in some way?

My own experience has been that self-made cheese always tastes a bit more complex than mild cheeses such as gouda or edam. Some sharp taste issues fade with time, but 2 months is not so little for a gouda, so you should have a pretty established soft taste by then, I think.

I'm not one of the gurus here, just another struggling newbie. But I'm sure the gurus would ask you to specify.

[wharris]

Cheese making is all about controlling the nuances of the process.  And about a gazillion variables in the process.

I would not be discouraged.  You have made cheese.  Now, your goal is to make a better one.
My suggestion is that now that you start to have a feel for the mechanical steps to make the cheese,  read other gouda threads here and find other Gouda recipes like this one from Peter Dixon

Off hand,  I attribute most bitter tastes to an acid problem.  You might have let the cheese over acidify.
If you don't already have one, I would invest in good pH meter.

Good luck  and don't get discouraged.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Could be too young. Vac bag and put it back in for more aging.

Too much rennet will also give a bitter tast.

[zenith1]

also the moisture under the wax could be from not pressing with enough pressure. Carroll's recipes are all for a two pound hoop. So if you vary from that you will need to change the amount of pressure you apply also. It could also be because you didn't flip the wheel often enough. You will of course develop a better flavor element if you age it to at least the full amount of time required in the recipe, but Wayne is probably correct in his statement concerning the bitterness.

[Waitawa Farm Cheesemaking]

Tyhanks so much everyone for your advice, the piggies ate it up this morning- I then opened a cheddar I had made on the 8/8/09 using rikkis quick cheddar recipe, it tasted really good, so I am a bit happier today lol.
I pressed the gouda using my bathroom scales as the "measure" Turned as per pecipe, and waxed after 5 days, it did not seem wet at all on the outside. Perhaps I used too much rennet as Wayne suggested? I am keen to open one of my other goudas but will wait another month and report back on teh results. The cheddar is surprisingly good and tastes more like what I call a "vintage cheddar" taste- that is, I only have the supermarket mainland brand of vintage to compare it to as I have never tasted another home cheesemakers vintage cheddar (-:

[Waitawa Farm Cheesemaking]

Forgot to add, the strong taste of the failed gouda to our palates was unpleasant, the consistency was similar to another home cheesemaker I have met who makes only gouda- there were no holes at all, I was carefull with the pressing and usually err on pressing for slightly longer than not long enough, but in this case followed the recipe exactly.
I also tried rikkis mozzarella recipe with bad results, so have now tried mrs kk's recipe with perfect results every time.

[zenith1]

it's all about the process of cheesemaking. Get the process down and you will ba able to make any variety that you want.