Beer Bath?

So …  there’s this style of cheese called Washed-Rind, and it basically means exactly what you probably think it means. The cheesemaker will bathe their cheese in some sort of liquid (brine, beer, wine, cider, etc.), which basically does two things: (1.) Causes a natural rind to grow on the outside of the cheese; (2.) Infuses the cheese with all kinds of interesting, tasty, funky, etc. flavors and aromas. Grayson, from Meadow Creek Dairy in Virginia, is a great example.

Recently, a washed-rind cheese from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont has received some pretty serious acclaim. And what makes Winnemere even more appealing (to some of us) is that the cheese has traditionally been washed in a lambic (or wild fruit beer) that a neighbor of the cheesemaker homebrewed. Pretty cool, right? New to this year’s batch of Winnemere is the beer it’s bathed in. Mateo Kehler, one of the cheesemakers at Jasper Hill Farm, actually connected with Greg Hall of local Goose Island and began washing the cheese in Goose Island Matilda (Chicago’s version of Orval). We’re hoping to have both Mateo and Greg in our shop late next week for a little tasting of both Winnemere and Matilda … keep an eye out.