Hello,
my problem is all my hard cheeses come out tasting sour. The smell and texture are both good just the taste. I do not know how to fix this problem. any ideas?
Thanks
Sour taste is generally a result of too much acid or a cheese that is young and not mature enough.
Too much acid can be the result of one or more of several different things:
Too much starter bacteria.
Not enough rennet (very long flocculation - curd set - time). Requires much longer to age.
Ripening too long.
Waiting too long to drain and press. Acid builds up.
Press weight too light leaving residual whey.
Improper aging. Too cool for example means the bacteria aren't as active.
... etc, etc
A lot of cheeses improve with age. Give them more time.
Like Sailor said sourness happens in cheese that is still too young. Some other signs of over-acidifying are chalky, hard and brittle cheese and cheese that cannot melt. These don't have to be apparent in over-acidified cheese, but if they are apparent - then your cheese surely is over acidified.
If your texture and acidity are perfect and you have aged your cheese long enough and properly than this may be an issue of under-salting.