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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Hard Cheddared (Normally Stacked & Milled) => Topic started by: hoeklijn on April 13, 2013, 05:31:14 PM

Title: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on April 13, 2013, 05:31:14 PM
Inspired by Boofer and tbnquilt I decided to make my first Cheddar and directly go for the beer soaked variety.
My wife brought me a dark brown Belgian beer, 11%, with the name Kasteel, which means... "Castle".
Used mostly the recipe from "200 Easy homemade cheese recipes", with my Alpha culture ( 2/3 Lactococcus Cremoris and Lactococcus Lactis, 1/3 Lactococcus Diacetilactis and Leuconostoc Cremoris). This recipe talks about cutting the curd to French fries instead of the small cubes that Boofer used, but since I like French fries...
To be able to press with enough weight I modified my press with double pulleys. In this setup 1 kg would give a pressure of 28 kg.
But when I had 3,5 kilo on the hook, the hinge began to bent.
I hope during the night the curd will knit enough with the pressure I can realize now...
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on April 13, 2013, 10:02:05 PM
Yum, a bucket of french fries...

That hinge looks like it is was fairly substantial. Nothing that a trip to the hardware shop won't fix.

(Personally, I would have mounted the hinge on the end of the beams and not the top.)
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on April 14, 2013, 10:03:15 AM
Hi Bill, the only thing is that the hardware store was already closed, but we'll fix this next week. Still thinking about your suggestion about how to place the new hinge...
Nevertheless this hardware problem, the cheese came out fine this morning. A little more wrinkled than I probably would have had with more pressure, but acceptable. And a nice smell from the beer...
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on April 14, 2013, 10:55:00 AM
That looks good Herman.

I have not soaked a cheese in anything other than brine. Was the beer warm when you soaked it?

Anyway it looks good. Now for the long wait...
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: WovenMeadows on April 14, 2013, 10:57:11 AM
I would hot wax (or bandage) right away to seal up all the gaps (which is what I did for my first few cheddars which did not seal well). Otherwise you'll probably find either mold infiltrating the little crevices, or the milled curd falling apart from itself. But looks good!
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: BobE102330 on April 14, 2013, 11:37:52 AM
To expand a bit on Bill's hinge placement suggestion, I agree that the hinge should go on the vertical side of the post. Be sure that the screws are well seated, you may want to through bolt the hinge. I would also mount the hinge on top of the arm. Cut the end at a 30 degree angle or so to allow more motion. This will load the hinge so it is not trying to lift off the wood.

I look forward to hearing how this cheese turns out.
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on April 14, 2013, 01:08:41 PM
Was the beer warm when you soaked it?
The beer had been on room temperature for a whole day....
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on April 14, 2013, 01:10:11 PM
I would hot wax (or bandage) right away to seal up all the gaps (which is what I did for my first few cheddars which did not seal well).
I normally coat all my pressed cheeses and will do so with this one as well....
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: Boofer on April 14, 2013, 03:10:35 PM
Oh Herman, that beer looks really tasty! Good effort with that Cheddar. How long will you age it?

-Boofer-
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: Tomer1 on April 14, 2013, 09:20:26 PM
You should
A)press under warm whey.
B)Seal the rind in a hot water bath (50c).
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: smolt1 on April 14, 2013, 10:28:39 PM
Here is a way to keep the pivot point in the same position and not bend the hinge and pull the screws. You can use a regular hinge and bend it in a vise.
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on April 15, 2013, 06:36:04 AM
Here is a way to keep the pivot point in the same position and not bend the hinge and pull the screws. You can use a regular hinge and bend it in a vise.

Thanks Smolt1, that's the way I will solve it probably. When it's fixed, I'll post pictures.

@Tomer1: Pressing under whey is hardly an option here, the Tomme mould I'm using is fitting almost exactly on my press, so it's impossible to have the mould in a container with whey...

@Boofer: Yes, the beer IS tasty. And dangerous because of it's amount of alcohol. Not something to drink when you're thirsty on a warm day... I'am aiming for Christmas with this one.
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: bbracken677 on April 15, 2013, 12:50:24 PM
You should
A)press under warm whey.
B)Seal the rind in a hot water bath (50c).

The problem with pressing under whey with a cheddar is you would need to reach an appropriate saline level to not leach salt from the cheese...and in this case you also have the beer in the cheese.
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on April 15, 2013, 02:45:11 PM
[quote author=bbracken677 link=topic=11292.msg87092#msg87092 date=1366030224
The problem with pressing under whey with a cheddar is you would need to reach an appropriate saline level to not leach salt from the cheese...and in this case you also have the beer in the cheese.
[/quote]

Well, because of the size of the mould I didn't even think about that, but I guess you're right. This will work for a cheese that still needs to be brined...
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on May 05, 2013, 12:31:20 PM
Update on the hinge: Bought a new one and attached it almost like Smolt1 adviced it. I'm pretty sure it much more robust now.
See the pictures:
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on May 05, 2013, 05:52:59 PM
That's exactly what I would have done.
You should have no more hinge problems now.

I guess the thing to do is make another Cheddar to try it out.  8)
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on May 05, 2013, 07:01:15 PM
One of these days  ;)
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: tnbquilt on May 26, 2013, 02:01:06 PM
The 200 cheese recipe books has a 30 minute cook time and a 1 hour cheddar. This will produce a mild cheddar flavor. My recipe has a 40 minute cook while stirring time, and then I check the PH level. I usually get to drain at this point, but sometimes I have to let it sit for the PH to drop a little more before draining. Most of the time the 40 minute cook time is good. Then I cheddar for 2 hours. It produces a stronger cheddar flavor.

Did you use the press in the pot method? That's the only way I can get my cheddars to knit properly. You put the cheese mold in a pot with something to hold it up off the bottom, and pour some warm water in the bottom, about 110 to 120 degrees farenheit. Then wrap the top with a towel to keep the heat in. I usually do this for the first two flip and redress process, but when I go to the 12 hour press I dump the water out. I got it off of this forum, I believe it was Sailor who suggested it. I never knitted a cheddar until I tried that, and this works every time.
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on May 27, 2013, 02:44:19 PM
No, the Tomme that I'm using for this barely fits the press, so pressing under whey, no way...
I think I was saved by the pressure that I used and the size of the curds. We'll find out what the taste is much later this year... 
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on July 05, 2013, 08:24:09 PM
Well, I couldn't wait longer. I had the idea that a) the cheese was becoming too dry and b) I deserved a piece of it  ;D.
So I cut it. Golden cheddar with a distinct smell of brown beer and a mild taste. Beer also recognizable in the taste.
(http://flexiprogram-public.s3.amazonaws.com/IMG_1607_Cheddar.jpg)

(http://flexiprogram-public.s3.amazonaws.com/IMG_1609_Cheddar.jpg)

Next time I'll cut it smaller during the milling and I'll try to keep the curd a bit less dry.
But the taste is goooood. Nice companion for a whiskey...
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: cowboycheese on July 05, 2013, 08:39:17 PM
Looks yummy. I wonder what that might look/smell/taste like with one of my ciders?

A shot (err cheese) for your ingenuity and creativity!

My first cheddar didn't knit 100%. I'm looking forward to trying the Boofer-wrap method to keep it warmer during the first press.
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: Boofer on July 05, 2013, 09:05:09 PM
Awesome, Herman! I forget...was this cream-coated?

Looks like a finely aged artisan cheese. A cheese to you for waiting it out and then being pleased with the outcome.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: JeffHamm on July 06, 2013, 07:01:17 AM
A cheese to your result!  Wow!  That's only just over 2 months old.  Looks much older.  Nicely done.

- Jeff
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: tnbquilt on July 06, 2013, 01:49:53 PM
I agree Herman, a little on the dry side. Did you wax it after you put your coating on it? I have screwed up cheddar every way possible. I had one dry one that I cream coated, but did not wax. I didn't realize that the cream coating would allow it to dry out. It was so dry I trashed it. I had one cheddar that I over cooked because I was trying to reach a specific PH level and my PH meter wasn't working right. It came out very dry and very tangy. I also trashed it. I have also under salted it, which makes it bitter, and I trashed it. And the final screw up was I didn't use enough culture and it came out bitter as well. I hope all of that is behind me, because we have eaten the last few that I have made.

I have not tasted my beer soaked one yet. I made mine on 4-6-13 and I soaked it in an amber beer that our friends with the new brewery make. They are having their one year anniversary party on September 7th so I plan on taking it to the party. I will taste it first and if it is good I will take it to the party. I forgot to salt it before I put it in the press, so the next day I took it out, cut it all up, salted it, reheated it and repressed it. I hope it comes out good. I vacuum sealed it after it air dried for a week.

I have found cheddar to be a bit challenging, and the aging period gets me. I need to make more short aging cheeses to enjoy while waiting on the cheddars so that I don't open them too early.
Title: Re: .. or Cheddar me a Castle...
Post by: hoeklijn on July 06, 2013, 09:05:25 PM
Thanks for the cheeses folks!
Well Tammy, since is was my first and only cheddar, I'm pleased with the result although I already have some points to change in the next make.
Yes Jeff, indeed just over 2 months old, which proofs that it was drying out too fast. I'm glad I decided to go for it, also because we had a garden-party this afternoon/evening. Without knowing what it was, everybody tasted the beer in the cheese. For some people (which normally see it as an adventure to eat something else than a young Gouda) it was too tasty but most loved it. And I still have some left  ;)