My first post here, so apologies if it's not done in the right place/manner.
Dec 27, made gouda using Gavin Webber's recipe. My milk was sourced from a local dairy with a storefront (they sell their award winning cheeses nationally as well). It was pasteurized non-homogenised whole milk, used before the best before date of Dec 28. I picked the milk up myself and stored it in the fridge until shortly before use. I did my best to sanitize my equipment by boiling it all for 15 minutes.
I used mesophilic 2 by Biena and pressed initially at 22lbs
for 30 minutes andd then 30lbs for 12 hours. It Initially ran a lot of clear whey. 12 hour brine and now it's air drying. I noticed it appeared spongy (for lack of a better word), with a dry rind and a center that didn't feel as solid as the outside would suggest.
Cut it open and found little eyes everywhere. The centre is quite wet still and when squeezed gently, gives off little pools of clear whey.
I'm worried that the eyes indicate coliform bacteria, though I'm hoping it's just a case of a overeager initial press.