Hey Jim -
First of all, hello, and secondly, many thanks for the thread. I love these cheeses, and intend to concentrate on them quite a bit over the next several months. Very informative thread.
I actually contacted a few "official" entities in Switzerland, and France. I was going to wait until I heard from the French concern to post their reply - my question was on the issue of "traditional" salting practices, among Gruyeres, and early affinage. The 2 Swiss orgs replied, yet to hear from the French; nevertheless, I think this is a fantastic thread, and I hope you don't mind if I add in the reply I received from Switzerland (they both were very close to one another in their description of alpage, mountain practice). Nothing earth-shattering - you've provided more detail (as have others I've learned a good deal from, over the last short stretch of time), but I thought it might be interesting to hear what a "mother country" of the style has to say:
Bonjour Monsieur,
Nous vous remercions de votre intérêt pour le Gruyère AOC.
Suite à la mise en moule, les fromages sont immergés dans un bain de sel
durant 24 heures.
C'est en cave qu'ils seront affinés. Pendant les dix premiers jours, les
Meules seront retournées et frottées quotidiennement avec un mélange de sel et d'eau. Ensuite, à raison de deux fois par semaine pendant trois mois,
puis d'une fois par semaine jusqu'à leur vente, elles seront encore
retournées et frottées, avec de l'eau légèrement salée.
(for English readers):
"Following their formation into wheels, the cheeses are immersed in a brine bath for 24 hours.
It's in the cave where the cheese would be aged. For the first 10 days, the cheeses would be turned and rubbed daily with brine. Then, at a rate of twice weekly for 3 months, then once a week until their sale, they would be once again turned and rubbed with a lightly-salted brine."
The other Swiss concern said much the same thing, merely adding:
You’ll find both methods, the dry way of salting the young cheese and the liquid one by washing them regularly in a brine.
You mention that salt would impede the final pH drop to 5.3-5.4. I know this is my target for final press, before resting; with a target of 5.0-5.3 for the "resting" period, before salting. Does this square with your experience?
Secondly, I wouldn't have thought Comte (or any gruyere-style) would get a warm period; at least not a significant one, as I wouldn't have thought a good deal of propionic metabolism was something sought after for these cheeses. From another member (and from reading more), I'm aware the common perception that gruyeres are "eyeless" isn't necessarily correct, but I also know these cheeses have very few, small eyes, if they're present; so thought the propionic lysis by-products (and not propionic fermentation), were more sought after in them, which is why prop. would be typically found in their make. Can you elaborate? Is it the case where comte/beaufort/gruyere get a limited warming period, in your experience?
With an amped-up home refrigerator (2 humidifiers, now, and an external temp controller), I've got 92-95%RH and 53-55F dialed in, but I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of a traditional beaufort ambiance, to be able to bank on a natural rind inoculation, so I helped it along. Actually,
them along, each in their own way. Basically, especially after some good counsel by a couple of makers I really respect, I'm treating these really very much like any other smear-ripened cheese; daily washing for a period, then dialed back, watching rind all the while.
Great stuff, much food for thought - thanks again, Jim.
Paul
Wanted to add that as I started to try to dig into this style, I came across your
blog - fantastic journey, thanks for chronicling that, as well. (And though I can't find it, somewhere on the www is, if my memory serves, a photo of you sitting in an alpine restaurant, a glass of wine and a wonderful meal in front of you, with the pale grey cast of rarefied light; had to be an extraordinary afternoon....and a sensory appeal to just take my family there, enough already!)
edit to the edit....found the pic. Must have come to it from your blog when doing the digging on beaufort, as
this ain't Beaufort, and that ain't wine.
I loved the video of the hapless couple and their cows...