Bitter and ammoniac camembert

[Lightbringer]

Hello!
I'm a newbie in cheesemaking, here is my first camembert. It looks pretty nice inside, soft and creamy taste, but has rough bitter and unpleasant aftertaste, and cheese smells like ammonia.

I riped it for 3 weeks, in container on the drainage mat, with 9 C degrees.

Does anyone know, what is the problem?

Thanks in advance.

[Lightbringer]

This is the other one cheese, it ripes for 16 days now. It's going softer and ammoniac smell also getting stronger day by day.

[H-K-J]

You might try airing them out for a 30 minutes too an hour every day for awhile,
also leave the lid on your ripening container open slightly

[Lightbringer]

You might try airing them out for a 30 minutes too an hour every day for awhile,
also leave the lid on your ripening container open slightly

I tried to air them out, it doesnt help. Thanks, will try to slightly open the lid.
Also, maybe something is wrong with the temperature? 9 C degrees is ok or should I make it lower? There is no way to make it higher, because for my fridge 9 deg is the max temperature.

[JeffHamm]

Hi Lightbringer,

I don't make cam and brie all that often, so some of the more expert posters will probably be able to give more details, but basically the moulds that ripen the cheese can produce ammonia if they get out of control growth.  Typically it is recommended that you air these cheeses out each day right from the start to get fresh air around them.  Eventually, if you let a cam or brie ripen for too long, it will go past its best and ammoniate anyway.  If the moulds are working really fast, then the outer layers will ripen and ammoniate before the insides have ripened.  Once you get decent coverage, it may help to wrap the cheeses and move them to a regular fridge where the colder temperature will slow down the ripening process. 

Basically, it will take a few goes at these to work out the best way to ripen these cheeses given your set up.  I'm sure  you'll get some great suggestions soon though.

[OzzieCheese]

Hi LB,  I think you will find that @ 3 weeks the cheese has had a very fast ripening.  A couple of things from your post 9 degrees (I'm assuming Celsius) is too warm.  have a quick read here - it might help. 

https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13412.0.html


But basically after 5-7 days @ 10-12 Degrees C and I have a nice light 'Peach fuzz' like covering (Could take 10 days) I transfer them to a 4 Degree C fridge.  One tip though, I would make sure the cream content is high as this help retard the Ripening.  The bitter after taste comes from the ripening process that produces ammonia and water (vapour) from the mould.  The ammonia production causes the pH to raise and this is a necessary process as it is what makes the paste go gooey.  But do it too fast and it is like cooking a thick steak - do it too fast and you get raw on the inside and burnt mess on the outside.  Same with Cams. You still want the process to continue but at a much slower rate, mine take as long as 8 weeks to peak eating.   

Hope that helps

-- Mal

[Lightbringer]

Hi Jeff,

I can't clearly understand the process of ripening when wrapped - doesn't wrapping kills the idea of having fresh air around cheese?

Hi Mal,

Maybe, I should try to ripe them at some middle temperature, about 6-7 Celsius, to ripe  not so long and not so fast?

Thanks for advice,
Ilya

[WisconsinDan]

Ilya,

While I am not too experienced and may be corrected here. The papers that they are referring too are special "breathable" papers which you can buy online. You could get some here: http://artisangeek.com/microcrystaline-cheese-wrapping-and-ripening-paper/. I have also heard of people simply "patting" the mold down to keep it in check even after in the colder fridge. Aside from not having to pat the growth down I do not know what any other advantages might be to these papers might be, maybe someone more knowledgeable could explain further.

~Dan

[OzzieCheese]

Hi Ilya,
This is one of those 'It Depends' things. If they ripen at the desired rate at 6 without the 'Ammonisation' taking over and you like the way they turn out then go with 6 Deg C.  it's amazing what 2-3 degrees C will do to the ripening rate.

The cheese wrap that people use is a two part micro-pore paper - I get mine from here  http://greenlivingaustralia.com.au/cheese-making/cm-equipment-accessories/paper but I'm sure the same is available nearer to you :)  But the way it works it to provide gas exchange whilst not drying out the cheese.  I rarely use them - only when I gift them to friends and family.   My batches of 6 cheese don't last too long once ripe 8)

-- Mal

[Bantams]

You did not salt the cheeses enough, most likely.
Too little salt will result in a very bitter flavor.  Also, without enough salt, you won't draw out enough moisture; overly moist + too little salt to keep the mold in check = very ammoniated, fast ripening cheeses.
I think that salting cheese properly is one of the hardest skills to learn, and bloomy rinds are particularly sensitive.
There are many different brands of cheese wrap out there, and even though they are all the two-part breathable papers for bloomy rinds, some of those just kill the cheeses.  Unfortunately the cheese suppliers think they're interchangeable so they just mail you whatever they have in stock.  If you see any moisture collect on the cheese after wrapping and aging for just a few days, you've got the bad type of paper.  You'll just have to try different types and see what works.