Arnaud's Beaufort 1

[ArnaudForestier]

Well, inspired by Boofer's wonderful chronicles, I decided to do a chronicle of my recently-made beaufort, my first.  Thanks to Sailor and Pav for their considerable help, to Boofer for his press design, and many others who have contributed to a discussion of this style, a favorite of mine, though this is my first make. 

Freshly out of brine - yes, it's 3:20 in the morning:



(Pav, if you're reading this, you may be able to make out some of the red flecks and streaks I mentioned earlier.  I have to admit, they do just seem like some sort of coloration from the cheesecloth - hadn't noticed the spots earlier, only what looked like filaments; so my paranoia got ahold of me in wondering, "bacilli?"). 

Very early, and given my uncertainty on pH targets, can't say for sure how well this has turned out; but by the knit, I'm happy, as this is the first cheese I've made without any mechanical openings (well, it's my first real attempt, I guess, as with my tommes I understood openings are part of the game, and so pressed more lightly and accepted the surface openings).  Anyway, knock on wood, happy at this point.

[Boofer]

Freshly out of brine - yes, it's 3:20 in the morning:

Man, when do you sleep?

Looks great. Nice knit. Now the fun begins, huh?

Thanks for your kind words.

-Boofer-

[zenith1]

A wonderful wheel of cheese! What's your address again?

[ArnaudForestier]

Thanks, Boofer.  Your press was king. 

LOL....I'm a freak, and a slave to these kinds of hobbies.  Forgive if I've already recounted this story, but once lived in Spring Green, on a farm.  Brewer, always conceiving recipes and approaches, and when it came to me, it had to be done.  Then. 

Brutal winter's night, in the Wyoming Valley south of Spring Green, easily besting -10F with cutting winds howling through our oak ridges.  Got the joneses to do a decoction mash, a bock by traditional German practice; had to be tried then and there.  Started around midnight, and sometime in the middle of this laborious make, I wasn't getting a clear vorlauf, recirc/runoff, which was weird as I'm a freak about such things (ask my former cooks, how much diligence I instilled into them on the management of each of our poultry, meat, fish, shellfish, game stocks).  Discovered the lauter screen had broken free.  Because of the decoction method, I had a truly gunky vat of stuff to deal with, much less calculations for cooling off, etc., as a result of fixing the issue. 

So, I fixed it, in the middle of the night, outside at 10 below.  I had to have this bock.  Climbed into bed the next morning, wife asks if I've been to hell and back, and...Hellenback Bock was born.  A wonderfully malty, true helles Bayerisch bock that I intended to lay down for an upcoming spring fest.

So, long-winded way of saying, I don't sleep unless absolutely necessary.  It's such a bother when obsession is calling.


Thanks, Zenith.  I live in Madison, WI.  Use Sassy Cow for all my makes so far, and very pleased with the quality of what I'm getting, but would love to work with raw milk, at some point. 

[Boofer]

A very lyrical tale. Thanks, I got a wonderful vision in my head.

I love bock. Doppelbock holds a special place in my palate. Optimator, Celebrator, Salvator...heaven.

Once upon a time I was fortunate enough to enjoy some Spaten Premium Bock. Very rare to find any more. That's been more than a few years.

Yeah, nothing worse than a stuck sparge. 

-Boofer-

[hammerhead]

Spaten Premium Bock, twas a time when I couldn't get enough of it. Helles and Maibock are unfortunately not that common. I have one on draft in my basement right now, homebrew of course.

[ArnaudForestier]

For some crazy reason, I've almost completely lost my taste for beer, though it was my profession at one time.  Boof and Hammer, absolutely agree on the bocks - loved them, especially this time of year.  Never had the Spaten Premium, would love to try it, even now.  (I'm a ... wine drinker, now, have been the last few years.  Né Boyer, I always thought my French cooking came from my blood.  Turns out "Boyer" was nothing more than a corruption of "bouvier," and he was a German settled in that part of France, who took to cattle.  Oh, to think his line moved to wine, and left beer behind...). 

[ArnaudForestier]

Cheese is in the cave at a confirmed (by calibrated analog hygrometer) 91-92% humidity, sharing space with my tommes. 

I know gruyeres (and understand other alpine styles) have a higher humidity, 95-98%, but I am hopeful of creating one environment where the complex cultures of the tommes (PLA, Mycodore, 3% wash) and the beauforts (though I've seen some with a b. linens wash, will be doing only a saturated brine and natural rind) will basically have a hardscrabble fight to come up with something interesting.  Also, I've an eye to an eventual underground cave, and at least for now, am playing with one environment for different cheeses.

Let me say this another way.  As Pav has indicated to me, and as I've dug up otherwise, it's quite common for the alpine styles to have a high humidity of 95% on up.  If, on the other hand, mycodore and yeasts have an optima much lower - I recall Pav indicating they can compete at 85-88%, but cannot compete well past 95% or so - and if they are part of the normal alpine profile, how does this work, in terms of microbial succession, when you can't manipulate a cave condition (as in a natural cave)? 

I hope I'm making my question clear.  Just thinking on things, both for now, and in musing on future possibilities. 

[linuxboy]

alpine styles to have a high humidity of 95% on up.

Yes, because you can't lose too much moisture over the 12-14 months of maturation.

If, on the other hand, mycodore and yeasts have an optima much lower - I recall Pav indicating they can compete at 85-88%, but cannot compete well past 95% or so

Not exactly what I said. I said they cannot outcompete b linens at 95%+.

alpines are different from tommes. They'll use a b linens smear, a low moisture cheese, and then the b linens dies off and forms the color.

[ArnaudForestier]

Let me clarify my intent, Pav.  I am trying to create one cave condition that will allow for good maturation in both a tomme, and a beaufort.  I am hopeful of working around a given cave condition, with an eye to an eventual natural cave environment, over the creation of many micro-environments, though that would certainly (and is) be easy enough to do.

Sorry if I misrepresented what you said - certainly not my intent.  I was going off of:

Here's a good rule of thumb... in the mid to high 80s, yeasts, mycodore, and mycoderm can compete with molds. When you get to 90-95, they don't compete as well. When you get to 95, they can hardly compete with b linens and geo. When you get to 98, even geo can't compete well with b linens.

"Don't compete as well at 90-95" was what led me to wonder what happens if one were to create a cave with 95% or better - a cave that would neither be begun at a lower RH (say, 88% or so) nor dropped at a later time - and inoculated with, say, PLA or other yeast-bearing blends.  It's just a persisting curiosity on succession; basically, in an environment favoring, say, linens (higher pH, higher RH, higher O2 exchange), if linens depends on, say, the de-acidifying effect of a DH, how does it work in caves where DH, etc., can't "compete well" with its "successor" flora?  Am I saying this clearly? 

I hadn't thought of the longer aging period and lower moisture content of the alpine, and the reasoning behind the RH. I also better understand the role of linens or morge on an alpine.  Thanks.

I have the intent of dry-salting daily, for a month - though know this tradition is seemingly, usually applied to a full-size wheel of beaufort; then applying a morge twice weekly.  Any thoughts?  Over-salted, doing this, on an 8-inch wheel?

[linuxboy]

"Don't compete as well at 90-95" was what led me to wonder what happens if one were to create a cave with 95% or better - a cave that would neither be begun at a lower RH (say, 88% or so) nor dropped at a later time - and inoculated with, say, PLA or other yeast-bearing blends.  It's just a persisting curiosity on succession; basically, in an environment favoring, say, linens (higher pH, higher RH, higher O2 exchange), if linens depends on, say, the de-acidifying effect of a DH, how does it work in caves where DH, etc., can't "compete well" with its "successor" flora?  Am I saying this clearly?

In natural and established caves, molds and yeasts can deacidify without a problem. They're acclimated. In small scale environments, you have to use the blends to make sure it all works out.

I hadn't thought of the longer aging period and lower moisture content of the alpine, and the reasoning behind the RH. I also better understand the role of linens or morge on an alpine.  Thanks.

Alpine b linens works way different than it does in a tomme. In an alpine style, the outer rind should be impenetrable. And you layer repeated washes of b linens to the point where all the dead cells build up a rind a biofilm on TOP of the cheese. With tomme the goal is to get geo/candidum molds to penetrate inside, and for b linens to add complexity. And the higher moisture of the b linens also encourages faster ripening.

Absolutely, higher RH in alpine is to preserve product. You want about 20% loss of weight in a year. Any more, cheese is too try. Any less, and original moisture has to be wrong, or conditions are unfavorable.

I have the intent of dry-salting daily, for a month - though know this tradition is seemingly, usually applied to a full-size wheel of beaufort; then applying a morge twice weekly.  Any thoughts?  Over-salted, doing this, on an 8-inch wheel?

Daily? It's overkill? For wheels like that, easier and faster to brine. If you want to dry salt, I would do no more than a total application of 4% of initial weight. If you're doing this over a month, that's like what, 1/8 tsp per day? Less?

[ArnaudForestier]

Daily? It's overkill? For wheels like that, easier and faster to brine. If you want to dry salt, I would do no more than a total application of 4% of initial weight. If you're doing this over a month, that's like what, 1/8 tsp per day? Less?

Thanks on the information on the linens, Pav.  Fascinating, as usual, and clears things up in terms of the different purposes of linens in a tomme v. beaufort.  However - and I'm sorry if this is obvious - if using a culture blend, and not an ambient, conditioned flora, and you have a 95% cave, will you have an issue with the DH, etc., not doing well, and therefore, you're setting up for failure if depending on the de-acidifying flora to do their job, in setting up for linens? 

Again, I know I can easily move between 88-95% at will, but I'm just curious on what will happen should I keep my cave at the higher RH, wash with PLA and myco, when aging both tomme and beaufort at the same RH.

Re: the dry rubbing: What I'm asking about is from a practice I've seen where this is done, in addition to brining.  A brining period, but a "month or two of" dry-rubbing/turning daily, "until the rind is ready" for a morge.  This was one source, and I'm sorry, I can't recall where I saw this.  It seemed excessive to me on even a traditional beaufort wheel, and seemed especially so on an 8" wheel.  (I've queried Francois the same thing, and if I've understood correctly, a mere 24 hours, twice-rub is sufficient; though I'm at this point unsure if this is in addition to, or just a practice in lieu of, a brine). 

On the other hand, I guess I don't consider it "excessive" when I know of a natural rind development using a saturated brine, for an extended period.  Are they not, essentially, equivalent - a saturated brine wash, and an extended dry-rub/dry "brine" development? 

I'm not trying to complicate or confuse things; I'm sincerely trying to figure out the dynamics, and am somewhat confused as I've seen some rather vague descriptions in various places (not here, but usually cheese-appreciation sites, which give outline descriptions of processes).  Basically, because I saw this somewhere in a description of something characterized as "traditional practice," I'm piqued by the notion of doing this, on top of a brine, and before a morge wash.

What I've seen would include:

-a brine, a cooling period, a drying period, an acclimatization period in one's cave, and then a schedule of saturated brine washing, to develop a natural rind;

-a brine, a cooling period, a drying period, an acclimatization period in one's cave, dry rubbing/turning (basically, creating a rind brine wash) for some period.  A site I've seen describes this as long as "a month or two, until the rind is ready" for a morge.  This is then followed by a morge, of a presumable 3-6% salinity.

Sorry for the length, and I hope this is useful to people.  If not, I'll move on.  Thanks.

[ArnaudForestier]

Prepping already for a Beaufort 2, and wanting to touch base with the community on some benchmarks.  These are gleaned from various people, so I know there will be contained within the below various opinions, not necessarily a singular opinion or vision.  Just doing a reasonableness check up on a good procedure:

Presuming a milk that comes in at pH 6.72.
-Rennet at 6.55-6.56 or lower.
-Hoop at 6.3.
-Press to 8 hours, or to about pH 5.4 (acidity should drop from pH 5.9 at 6ish hours to 5.4).
-Cool off 12-24 hours, at 72F/70%RH.  pH Target to 4.9-5.3.
-Brine in saturated brine, 55F, 3-4 hours/lbs of pressed cheese.
-Dry x 24-36 hours at 72F/70%RH, until ready for cave.
-Place in cave at at ideally 95%RH, 52-55F. 
-An additional salt-rub for 2x24hours (flip each time, @24 hours); dry.
-Brine wash with saturated brine (natural rind), or with some sort of corynebacteria wash at 3-6% salinity (cultured, washed rind), twice weekly, to maturation; minimum 8 months or so.

[linuxboy]

will you have an issue with the DH, etc., not doing well, and therefore, you're setting up for failure if depending on the de-acidifying flora to do their job, in setting up for linens? 

Not really, you should be fine. Geo will deacidify just fine. But you will have a different rind on a tomme, one that has more b linens, if you use PLA.

Again, I know I can easily move between 88-95% at will, but I'm just curious on what will happen should I keep my cave at the higher RH, wash with PLA and myco, when aging both tomme and beaufort at the same RH.

B linens will show up a little sooner and will dominate. Not like a limberger dominate, but will be more smelly. Which is not a bad thing for a tomme, just different.

A brining period, but a "month or two of" dry-rubbing/turning daily

I've never seen this done.

Are they not, essentially, equivalent - a saturated brine wash, and an extended dry-rub/dry "brine" development? 

No, you lose more moisture from the cheese when dry salting.

but usually cheese-appreciation sites, which give outline descriptions of processes

Some are full of crap. Some misunderstand and misstate. Some are right. Some hear a process and think it applies to every cheese. There are probably people out there who both brine and salt rub, but I haven't seen this done. I've seen brine, brushing, and then washing later. They're probably using salt as a way to manage unwanted mold. Depends on the cave and the cheesemake. You need a rind with a slightly firm outer "shell" because, again, you don't want the b linens penetrating excessively. You want to layer and layer them on, and slowly flavor the cheese over time, and give an interesting color. Differences in practice have to do with cheese moisture. With more moist cheese, you want to protect the rind, and then layer on the b linens, and you give the cheese some time to lose moisture before you do that. With a drier cheese and a proper rind, you can layer on the b linens pretty quickly. Just depends on the entire technology of the make the individual preference. No one right way about it.

[ArnaudForestier]

Grateful Pav, very clearly explains things.  I now realize I'm after something ultimately unachievable - the ability to "optimally" make both a tomme (at least a more nuanced tomme, not one heavily balanced towards corynebacteria) and a beaufort in one cave environment really can't be done.  While I would like some linens contribution to the tomme, the notion of it taking off on this relatively-moister cheese isn't appealing to me, personally.   

I wonder if the fact my tommes started off their first couple of weeks at 88-90%, with the the relatively slower, drying rind development shown elsewhere has (has, for these 3 tommes, only) forestalled the linens domination? (though wonder if by what you're saying, I could expect it to go from here, if not watched/controlled).

I think it's come full circle - sorry if it was a circuitous trip:  Ideally, then a beaufort cave would be 95-98%, and a tomme cave, say, 88-92%, yes (if you want a more nuanced tomme)?