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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Aging Cheese, Caves => Topic started by: Tropit on November 07, 2009, 03:18:25 PM

Title: A real cheese cave in side of hill? Anyone have one?
Post by: Tropit on November 07, 2009, 03:18:25 PM
I would love to put my son and DH to work and have them build us a real cheese & wine cave into a hillside.  Has anyone ever tried this?  What is required?  Plans? Tips?
Title: Re: A real cheese cave in side of hill? Anyone have one?
Post by: Cheese Head on November 07, 2009, 05:15:39 PM
No clue but a couple of people have thought or done it that you could send a PM to:
1) Goatherdess (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,1622.0.html)
2) There was someone with a physical rick cave but I couldn't find the post, sorry.
3) Here's another idea from Brian (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,492.0.html).

Also in this board (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/board,211.0.html) is some info.
Title: Re: A real cheese cave in side of hill? Anyone have one?
Post by: Sailor Con Queso on November 07, 2009, 08:14:47 PM
My wife keeps telling me I should build a Hobbit cave into our hillside. Ohhhh honey. Don't tempt me.  ::)
Title: Re: A real cheese cave in side of hill? Anyone have one?
Post by: GBoyd on November 07, 2009, 11:09:06 PM
Didn't I read of a commercial operation that is digging a cave out of solid rock?

It was on the site recently. Apparently that plan replaced a plan to use a retired shipping container underground.
Title: Re: A real cheese cave in side of hill? Anyone have one?
Post by: Tropit on November 08, 2009, 10:23:25 PM
I have seen wine cellars done with shipping containers.  Houses too.  I think there's probably a book out there, somewhere, that offers a 1000 +1 uses for shipping containers.  I s'pose it's not a bad idea...really.
Title: Re: A real cheese cave in side of hill? Anyone have one?
Post by: FRANCOIS on November 11, 2009, 09:43:35 PM
I have built and consulted on a number of caves and underground aging areas.  For it to be done right requires significant time and effort.  I would say 50% of the caves I have seen as miserable failures beyond redemption.  They have wild temperature fluculations and incorrect airflow/ventilation.  Another 45% have rectifiable major flaws.  The last 5% were built on multi-million dollar budgets, incorporate sophisticated temperature control systems and work beautifully.

It is possible to build a cave in a hill side and have it work beautifully but, unfortunately, most small producers who are doing this lack the expertise or funds to hire epxertise to make it work.