Brine to wash Appenzeller cheese

[Erkki Juusto]

I posted awhile back a question how to make a brine to wash Appenzeller cheese.  Since I got no replies, I thought I would tell my current brine recipe to stimulate discussion.  I should say first that I've bought Appenzeller from the store couple times and try to taste what spices are in the brine. Here is what I am using at the moment:
1/2 cup Zinfandel white wine, a pinch of salt, a pinch of Brevibacterium linens, a cooked brine from Sassafras flower, chives, thyme, mint, and a pinch of Mountain pepper.  I brush this brine on the cheese once per day in 52 F.  Anyone to suggest changes?  I have just tried to think what they available in the old Switzerland.  I heard from a lady from Switzerland that they fed a special coctail of herbs and flowers to their Brown Swiss cows to make this cheese.

[patxarana]

I know i am replying almost a year after this post was initially posted, but I found it interesting =) I've never made Appenzeller myself though.  How did the cheese work out with that recipe? Would you brine it with normal brine (just salt + calcium chloride) and then wash it with the 'spiced' brine, or I wonder could you brine in straight in the 'spiced brine'? 

[Boofer]

Wow, I guess this thread got lost in the cracks.

A spiced brine is an interesting course to follow but I don't see how it could duplicate what the cows actually eat and then how that complements the milk produced. I might be inclined to try to develop an herbal infusion to add to the milk which would then be incorporated in the cheese make.

I wonder if anyone on the forum has tried such an infusion? I realize that cumin seeds, caraway seeds, pistachios, peppers, and herbs de Provence may be added to the curds prior to molding, but this herb infusion seems a little different.

Are you still here somewhere, Erkki? It is too soon to know how your efforts turned out, but I would like to know when you finally do cut it.

-Boofer-

[Erkki Juusto]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for your interest in the topic.  Okay, here is what I know so far - I am not there yet.  I have made 20-30 rounds of Appenzeller and tried the brine wash for each of them.  The rind turns nice red color and smells good.  The taste, however, is far from the official Appenzeller.  I found a link that says about roots, flowers, etc.  (http://www.appenzeller.ch/en/production/herbal-brine/).  I think it is a big secret to the Swiss.  Recently, I have modified my cheese making as I have learned from Linuxboy how to make hard cheese.  I have pressed the cheese under whey and brined the cheese in salt and whey.  I have arrived to a new problem.  When I wash the rind with the brine, the whey comes out of the cheese and makes the rind sour in taste.  I am stuck in this step at the moment.  If you ever buy official Appenzeller, the cheese has a nutty/fruity taste.  I would love to hear ideas to get closer to this taste.  I once visited Switzerland (French part) and enjoyed this cheese every day.  It is my all time favorite and I would really like to learn to make it.