Author Topic: Double Gloucester...The First  (Read 12580 times)

Offline Boofer

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2012, 02:39:22 PM »
I saw this historical description and wanted to add it here, but decided it was better served in the Library.

I need another two months' aging before I can sample this. That will be the 4-month mark: July 14th. Am I anxious? Maybe. Curious? Absolutely!

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Offline Boofer

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #16 on: July 06, 2012, 03:39:38 PM »
I was going to cut this in another week for my Dad's birthday, but I decided I needed to check on it today...so here we are!  :)

It looks good for my first Cheddar-like cheese. The cheese is a little more pale than the pictures would indicate. I may want to boost the characteristic (for me) Cheddar color with a little annatto next time. There was a little problem that I had been observing in the cave. In some of the crevices of the vacuum bag a little mold had decided to move in. I don't think it really was going to get serious because of the vacuum, the hardness of the cheese, and the residual salt content. I rubbed it off with some vinegar & salt and dried it before I put it in a vacuum bag.

I have never tasted Double Gloucester so I don't know how close it is to Cheddar as far as taste. There is some Cheddar flavor developing. Perhaps with time it will come out a little more. The salt content is decent if not just a touch on the light side. The texture is firm and maybe a little waxy, in line with the style. Good mouthfeel. It should be wonderful in a grilled cheese sandwich.  8)

This is, by far, the cheese that I have pressed the heaviest. The result is not a dried out brick of something dairy. It actually surprised me the way that it turned out. That gives me confidence that heavy pressing for the Cheddar family is a good thing.

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Offline H-K-J

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #17 on: July 06, 2012, 05:33:32 PM »
It's definitely time to make a hard cheese  :)
Looks good as all your cheese do :P
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JeffHamm

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #18 on: July 06, 2012, 07:04:08 PM »
Very nice looking result Boofer!  Your internal texture looks fantastic.  I'm still limited to a max of 2.5 PSI, so my internals always have some mechanical openings.  Sounds like you've got a nice cheese developing there.  Age it out for as long as you can and see what happens.  We are having my daughter's god-mother and her mother over today (who is living in the UK, but home for a couple weeks) so I've cut some pieces of my 18 month gouda and 8 month old cheshire to serve up.  They're both breathing in the cave and I'll warm them up before they get here.  The gouda may have developed some crystals? (it seems to have a frosty/grainy dust on the surface that feels like crystals).  These are two nice cheeses, and I think the cheshire will get even better once it passes the 1 year mark (I've got 1/2 a wheel of it which I want to take over a year).

Anyway, well done.

- Jeff 

Offline Boofer

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #19 on: July 06, 2012, 07:49:32 PM »
Thanks, guys.

Wow, 18-month-old Gouda! That should be a winner. That's interesting about the crystals on the surface. I have had amino acid crystals in the paste for a year-old Beaufort and Tomme, but I don't recall the surface thing. Did you by any chance rub it with dry salt before aging it? Maybe the frosty/grainy dust is Geo. I've had some cheeses with what sounds similar and it was Geo grittiness. Not a problem really...just a data note.

Yeah, that sheet that Debi did calls for 25-40psi for Cheddar. Wow! I've asked her if that's accurate, but no response yet. I'm nowhere near that mark. Wonder what the cheese would be like with that kind of pressure?

-Boofer-
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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #20 on: July 06, 2012, 08:01:37 PM »
Hi Boofer,

It's not geo, I've had that before.  And I didn't add any extra salt when I waxed it, but I had washed it a few times with saturated brine to keep the mould down.  Hmmm, perhaps it is salt crystals from the brine.  That would make sense.  The milk was just store bought, so nothing special, but it was the first hard cheese I ever made (end of Dec, 2010 when I made it).  I'm planning on keeping some until over 2 years.  I've got another gouda aging that I want to take out to at least a year as well, because this one was so nice.  The replacement is a different aspect ratio though (this one was a disk, the new one is a barrel) so it will be interesting to see if that influences the outcome.

- Jeff

Offline Boofer

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #21 on: July 07, 2012, 03:28:26 AM »
I seem to be moving from wheel (typical Tomme shape) to a "barrel" shape. My last several cheeses have been more vertical than horizontal. I too don't know what difference, if any, that will make in the final product. I guess we'll wait and see.

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JeffHamm

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #22 on: July 07, 2012, 06:00:51 AM »
Hi Boofer,

I should have said wheel, they are not taller than they are wide, which would be barrel.  I was just thinking they were so much taller than the disk and sort of overshot in my description! :)

Anyway, the cheese tray was a hit.  Had some butterkase (which has now aged to the point where it's not a boarderline bland, but has quite a nice flavour - I would recommend aging it out 2 or 3 months if you make one) along with the other two older ones.  All were a hit, with some liking the gouda best and others the cheshire, and the butterkase got a few second place votes as well.  It's great when there's a variety of "winners" rather than one that outshines the rest.   

I keep meaning to try Double G.  Must put that on the list.
- Jeff

Offline Boofer

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #23 on: July 07, 2012, 05:00:54 PM »
Kudos on the cheese plate success. Please, sir, may I offer you a cheese?

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iratherfly

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #24 on: July 15, 2012, 03:38:37 AM »
Oooh, just came across this thread Boofer, did you see this post I made earlier?
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9945.msg73173.html#msg73173

Your cheese looks nice!

Offline Boofer

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #25 on: July 15, 2012, 07:36:09 AM »
Yes I did see your posting, Yoav. Interesting.

This was the first time I had made any Cheddar-like cheese. While I was pleased with the effort, I realized from it that there were a number of things that could be improved upon. I subsequently have made two Cheddars (not DG) and have developed a little more confidence in the process. Those two Cheddars are destined for a long winter's nap so I won't know the outcome until next year.

I'd like to tackle a clothbound Cheddar the next time I go through this process. Not so sure the Double Gloucester #2 is on my horizon at this time. In your opinion, what is the defining characteristic that sets the DG apart from a Cheddar?

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iratherfly

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #26 on: July 15, 2012, 10:05:47 PM »
I don't think it differs from Cheddar. Cheddar is a whole family of cheeses, all of which go through the same process. Varieties developed in different areas based on terroir and need and they differ in small things such as acidity curve, curd size, how long or how hwvy is the pressing, whether or not the milled curd should be salted before pressing. The results differ in tangy and creamy tones, saltiness and moisture. If you see and taste a Double Gloucester without knowing its name, you will probably just say "it's cheddar!" Derby, Lancashire, Wensleydale, and even Stilton are all in this family. There are tons more.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #27 on: December 10, 2012, 03:06:35 PM »
Sampled this again over the weekend.... What was bland and somewhat flavorless way back when, has begun to develop nice Cheddar flavor. I tasted a few samples when I first cut into it and then last night I enjoyed it in a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough. Yum! :)

This cheese has the distinction of being the hardest-pressed of any cheese I have made. I am able to slice it very thinly. The texture is nicely dense but not overly hard like a Parmigiano.

It is amazing what a little time and age can do for a cheese. Patience helps too.

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Offline Al Lewis

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #28 on: December 10, 2012, 05:36:11 PM »
See how you guys are?  I finally figure out what cheeses I'm making next and you have to go and throw another great one out there.  You're a bad influence and my bookmark page is getting full!  LOL
« Last Edit: December 10, 2012, 08:01:34 PM by Al Lewis »
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JeffHamm

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Re: Double Gloucester...The First
« Reply #29 on: December 10, 2012, 10:46:25 PM »
Well done!  A cheese to you for waiting it out.  I've just unwaxed my Cheddar, which is a week shy of 1 year.  I won't be cutting it until it's reached its birthday, but want to air it out a bit.  It's comming to Canada with me to share with my family (all indications are that I can take cheddar into Canada from New Zealand).  All my waxed or bagged cheeses end up with a "white wine" aroma to them, which fades as they air out over a few days. 

- Jeff