Waxed Rind - Bubbles Under Wax

[birdsongmilkmaid]

I made a round of stirred-curd cheddar with four gallons of milk on April 4, 2011. I pressed it at 50 pounds for 24 hours, then dried for ten days before cream waxing it on April 15. I hard waxed the cheese 23 days after I had cream waxed it, on May 9. Today I turning my cheeses, and I noticed that it had bubbles under the wax. I can't tell whether it is between the hard wax and the cream wax, or between the cheese and the cream wax. I also can't tell whether it is water bubbles or air bubbles, although I'm assuming it's the former. I was wanting to age the cheese for three months before cutting it open, but now I'm wondering if I should cut it open now and see what these bubbles are about, or if I should wait for the beginning of July like I had originally planned and just keep a close eye on it until then. Any opinions?

I have no idea why the cheese is doing this. The cheeses that I made after that one are all fine, as least so far.

Naomi

[zenith1]

You will probably have to find out what the bubbles actually are, whether it is accumulating whey or a gas. Then you can decide what direction to go in in with the wheel. It sounds like you processed the wheel correctly during the drying stage, so it could be a late blooming contaminant that is giving off gas. You are going to have to cut open the area on the wheel that is affected and take a look. You can always re-wax that area.

[arkc]

Good answer Zenith.  A thumbs up for you.

annie

[birdsongmilkmaid]

Thanks for the input. Since there are bubbles in more than one place on the cheese, I've decided to just leave it for now and keep a close eye on it. I'll be cutting it open in less than a month anyway, but I'll do it earlier if the bubbles get any worse. Once I cut my cheese open I may be posting back here asking for input, depending on what I find.

Naomi