For your Enjoyment - My first Colbey

[Jessica_H]

My poor cheese is going downhill.

I've been drying it in the same environment as my Parm and Gouda and they have been perfect.  But they were both brined?  Maybe that matters?  Anyways, I have huge cracks and now a weird little pustule appeared at the top of the cheese in a 24 hour period that expelled clear fluid.

The cheese is 8 days old and has been drying at 52 degrees and 65 ish % humidity.  (Started at 55% for 3 days with my other cheeses who have been drying fine in that environment, then moved to cave at 70%, then cave door got left open too far and dropped to 60-55% in the last 24 hours again).

I'm not sure what it all means (I posted on the Problems) board.  But I know it's not looking good for this little guy.  :'(


Top side


Side cracks

[dthelmers]

I'd try vacuum packing it and letting it age. I made a small cheddar a while back, soaked the curds in stout. I didn't have near enough weight when pressing, and it wasn't holding together very well. I vacuum sealed it and aged it for six weeks, and it was pretty good, even with the "fault lines".
Dave in CT

[Jessica_H]

I'd try vacuum packing it and letting it age.

It's still VERY squishy in the middle...and quite wet except on the edges.

I don't have a vacuum pack but I have wax.  Will that do the same thing?  I hate to throw it out.  Have you ever misted the sides with water to let the middle catch up?

[Jessica_H]

Well, this poor cheese is just proof that maybe experimenting with your 3rd cheese ever really isn't a great idea!  After all the earlier posts the cheese started to get really aggressive mold in all the cracks.  I did my best to wipe it down but before I waxed it I decided to just cut all the mold out.  It's aged for 2 months now and so I decided to open it and see what I got.

I'm sure now that the wine made it so the cheese didn't knit properly.  And then the paste is crumbly.  And on top of it all the cheese flavor is overpowered by "old wine" flavor.  Ugh, oh well!

I actually think I'll re-wax what I have left and let it age another few months to see if the wine flavor goes away. 

[MrsKK]

Definitely age this longer - if possible, even forget about it for 6 or more months.  I've been amazed at the difference in cheese after long aging, in both flavor and texture.

[iratherfly]

I am pretty sure that the wine swayed the pH level and prevented proper enzymatic activity that causes the knotting.  The alcohol might have killed some of the ripening culture which is responsible for the modification of proteins during aging (which causes that knotting action). This may also be contributed by failed pressing.  I would not experiment that early.  Imagine how you calculate cultures to the 1/16th of a teaspoon and pH levels at 0.2 point accuracy then you pour all this wine - it's too early and too violent for this cheese. My suggestion is, if you want an easy cheese that you can age in 60 days with beautiful rind and great red wine qualities - go for Tomme and brine it in wine. The recipe has been discussed here a few times. It's a greay melty cheese too that go well in salads and sandwiches or cheese plate. Here's my last one. Technically this is a Petit-Tomme de Syrah.  This is 60 days old. It's sister is still aging (month 5 now).

[Boofer]

That looks great, iratherfly. How did you brine it and age it? How did you treat the rind over that 60 days?

I have a second Tomme that I developed the rind on and then sealed it. My first was a wine-brined effort that I sealed right after brining and drying. I've got my fingers crossed for both.

Jessica, I think iratherfly's advice is well spoken. Give a Tomme a try...and leave the wine on the outside. 

-Boofer-

[iratherfly]

Thanks Boofer! Your looks mighty fine too! What kind of wine did you use?

My routine is 4 dunkings. It seemd overwhelming and when you do it for the first time you really think that the whole cheese will turn red but at the end of the day it's really just a thin red rind. The cheese flavor and aroma are "winey" but it doesn't "taste like wine". It's not overwhelming. It almost gives it this aromatic sweet character of Swiss cheese.

The routine:

I make two brines:
#1: Simple heavy brine: 18% salt by weight with 1/4 tsp CalCl2 per gallon. A few drops of basic vinegar (Acetic Acid) can be used to adjust pH levels if you are using water instead of whey).
#2: A heavy wine brine: Just as #1 above but instead of whey or water, use a whole bottle of Syrah. No vinegar needed here.

Then...
1. Immediately off the press, dunk the cheese in the simple brine at 3 hours per Lb. per side.
2. Let dry on well ventilated rack, turning once or twice a day, for 2-4 days, until it feels dry.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 above but in the wine brine this time and only 15-20 min per side.
4. Repeat step 3 above
5. repeat step 3 above again.
6. Vacuum (this will probably be day 8 already). Age for min 45 more days. Turn every few days

Notes:
The triple dunking is a bit like paining a white wall; it builds the rind in layers. The cheese may actually take some time to color up. Color will shift noticeably during aging towards a more dull/faded shade that is strangely darker. That's normal.
You don't need to make new brines for the dunking. Reuse the same wine brine for all three dunkings. Refrigerate in between dunkings.  Adjust the brining time if you feel it got too much wine or not enough of it. The colder the brine, the longer it will take to brine.
Lastly, wine selection: You don't have to go with Syrah. Use whatever you want; Merlot Carmenere, Pinotage, Cotes Du Rhone Etc. Taste the wine and make sure it's a good match as you try imagining it with cheese. Don't go too fruity or too aromatic. You don't want it to take over the cheese and mask all the natural characteristics of your milk quality and the ripening culture you chose. (I use MA4000 series with a bit of MD89. Lovely texture, small eyes and buttery profile but not over the top like using Fl-Dn)