As always with the best intentions, I had planned on doing a full write up for this. However, being a new father has meant a bit of time pressure on my reporting time! I got the idea for creating this cheese based on many a long discussion with a close friend who brews, and we were wanting to start collaborating between us (of course this means a lot of sampling). We settled on a chocolate-stout, and this is the result.
The curd was soaked in the beer for an hour after it was milled, and I was surprised with just how much was absorbed from a 300ml bottle. The marbling isn't quite as dark as I expected, and I need to flip more during pressing to get rid of the ridging that occurs. This is currently aging and it will be about 6-7 weeks aged by the time I take my first look at the results.
Photos are taken immediately after pressing, and then prior to waxing.
Hi 'Tasker
Looks awesome ... Made something similar with a dark Guinness beer, an Irish cheddar of sorts... It's in the cave now waiting for Christmas to be part of the "party cheddars" platter (one made from ruby red port, another with a green sage derby and lastly the above mentioned one) colourful cheese plater eh? Lol
One tip if I may share from experience, put the ale into the vat with the milled curds and keep it warm. When done with the infusion, drain and then salt and pack your still warm curds into your cloth lined pre-warmed mould. That will help with sealing that rind better. I found it a challenge to get a good smooth rind otherwise... Allows wax to get into the rough surface and makes it hard to remove... Or unwanted molds may find their way into your cheese eventually. Also careful removing the cheesecloth ... The surface curds tend to get pulled on and may dislodge ... Especially after a heavy or overcompensating pressing ...
Hope your tests and experiments go well.. Good luck !
F
Cheers for the tip about keeping the curds warm, I did have the stout at room temperature which I think helped. I hadn't thought about pre-warming the mould either! I did lose a couple of the surface curds on this one, practice does make perfect.
I look forward to hearing how you go with the Guinness, my wife has quite a fondness for the drop. Sounds like a very colourful Christmas indeed!
Thanks for posting this, very nice looking cheese!
And thus the result. This cheese had quite a strong smell of the stout, and while the Colby itself was mild the beer added a unique late taste that was quite pleasant. As I'm not a big stout drinker myself I don't think I could completely appreciate it, but it was enjoyed by friends and family alike. I will definitely be giving this one another go, and thinking of some variations that could be applied to introduce some more complexity to the flavours.
Nice! (http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/smilie_thumbsup.gif) AC4U ;D
Looks great.
If you've got some you don't want and you'd like to float it across the ditch .... I am a stout drinker.
A cheese for you anyway.