Hi
Made a St. Paulin type (same-temp, light brine, washed curd) from Mastering Artisan cheesemaking. Doing well up until about a week ago. Been aging for about 8 weeks.
It started to swell on the top so i was flipping it twice daily hoping it would go away. Cracked it open today and this is what I found. It smells amazing! There are a few moist parts. There are NO off smells.
Been searching info on 'blowing'...late and early. But i'm not sure if this is what's going on.
Is it safe? Full disclosure - i ate a very small piece already ;)
I've heard that this can happen if you have yeast munching away on lactose in the cheese. Or it can also be late blowing. I don't have enough experience to say which, unfortunately.
Raw milk or pasteurized? If raw milk how fresh? Is the producer in the business of regularly supplying drinkable raw milk to consumers? What cheese cultures did you use? There are several cheese cultures, that if used in excess will produce too much harmless CO2 gas, especially if the aging space is on the warm side.
-FA