First up: Hard, Flaky Cheeses<\/strong>. These cheeses break into flakes and shards when you cut it\u2014they’re very firm and cannot be dented with a finger. When cut with a knife, these cheeses will break apart at natural fault lines where the curds bonded together and leave crumbles on the cutting board. They often have small, crunchy amino acid crystals throughout their paste. Examples of hard flaky cheeses include aged gouda, clothbound cheddar, and aged Mimolette.<\/p>\n Beecher\u2019s 4-Year Aged Flagship is almost more dessert than dairy product\u2014and that\u2019s just what founder Kurt Beecher Dammeier intended. \u201cIt\u2019s like cheese candy,\u201d he says. That\u2019s because the sweetness and brown butter notes of the company\u2019s Flagship cheese\u2014made with cultures not commonly found in cheddars and inspired by Washington State University\u2019s Cougar Gold\u2014only grow more intense after four years of aging. \u201cIt\u2019s a flavor profile that\u2019s really coming on in the US,\u201d Dammeier says, calling the three-time first-place winner at the American Cheese Society Judging & Competition a cross between cheddar and Gruye\u0300re.<\/p>\n Made with a mix of Holstein and Jersey cow\u2019s milk (60 percent and 40 percent, respectively) and studded with tyrosine crystals, the crowd- pleasing cheese is now more available then ever, as annual yield has increased from 10,000 pounds to 50,000 pounds. Lucky us.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Caramel apple, butterscotch, honey Winner of the 2015 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Best Cheddar (aged one to three years) category, Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar is a raw cow\u2019s milk wheel produced on Prince Edward Island and named for the fictional town where the province\u2019s beloved Anne of Green Gables lived. Developed by cheesemaker Armand Bernard, the recipe riffs on the traditional cheddars produced in the Orkney Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Scotland and COWS Creamery owner Scott Linkletter\u2019s ancestral home.<\/p>\n Made from Holstein cow\u2019s milk, the rounds are coated in fat and bound in cloth strips, which allow the cheddar to breathe as it ages 14 months (the cheeses are turned regularly to ensure even air-drying). Prince Edward Island\u2019s terroir is similar to that of the Orkney Islands, with iron-rich soil that manifests itself in Avonlea\u2019s deeply grassy and mineral-rich taste. Its golden paste boasts fine threads of blue towards the edges, a natural and tasty result of the crust cracking as the cheese ages. Close to the rind, the cheddar tastes of earthy sharpness and freshly mown grass. Toward the center, the cheese takes on buttery, strawlike flavors, recalling warm sunshine on clean hay.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Butter, straw, earth How many fourth-generation Swiss dairy farmers (John Fiscalini, Jr.) employ a Paraguayan cheesemaker (Mariano Gonzalez) to produce an award-winning bandage- wrapped cheddar in Northern California? Fiscalini may do things a little differently, but that\u2019s exactly the point. The farmstead company has made an international name for itself\u2014stockpiling awards in the process\u2014for its take on the traditional UK cheese.<\/p>\n \u201cThe secret to the success of this cheese is our geographic region,\u201d Gonzalez explains. \u201cThe Central Valley has a unique climate and soil that makes it easy to grow great forage for our cows, which is the start of creating great cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n Sixty-pound wheels are bound in cheesecloth and hand-turned daily for two months before aging a minimum of 14 months, leading to an intriguing butter-colored cheese that\u2019s \u201cmellower and less tangy than UK cheddars, with a more acidic flavor,\u201d Gonzalez says. The exacting cheesemaker monitors milk daily for fluctuating butterfat and protein content. \u201cI must also balance acidity and temperature of the milk,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a different experience every day, but that\u2019s what makes it fun.\u201d<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Nuts, butter, smoke, slightly salty Last year marked some important changes for CONO, the makers of Beemster cheese. The Dutch farmer-owned cooperative opened a new green production facility, an architectural feat that incorporates water recycling, solar energy, air circulation, and energy retention\u2014all improvements that reflect the historical Dutch initiative to \u201calways do the right thing by the environment, by the earth,\u201d says Marcel van Tuyn, Beemster US managing director. Still, workers continue to rake curds by hand in the midst of the new facility\u2019s technological innovation, which satisfies local hunger for quality cheese made in a traditional fashion.<\/p>\n Structural ingenuity is nothing new on the Beemster polder; in the 1600s, locals used a system of windmills and canals to reclaim the land from underwater. Thanks to their efforts, grass now grows abundantly in the region\u2019s nutrient-dense soil\u2014unique terroir that shines in the rich cow\u2019s milk, which is creamy, sweet, and high in fat. Van Tuyn says that\u2019s what puts Beemster Classic, aged at least 18 months, above other gouda cheeses\u2014and the World Cheese Awards judges agree, awarding it a Super Gold at the 2014 contest.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s that creaminess,\u201d he says, adding that as Beemster ages, it retains \u201cthat delectable mouthfeel . . . even though it\u2019s got that hard texture and crystallization throughout, and nice, toasted caramel flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Cream, toasted caramel, brown butter Pas\u030cka Sirana has been turning out traditional Croatian cheeses such as Pas\u030cki Sir, as well as inventive spinoffs like mixed-milk Dalmatinac, for decades. But starting with the construction of a new cheesemaking facility in 2008 using European Union pre-accession funds, the company began exporting for the first time. Slowly, Dalmatinac is becoming a household name in Europe and beyond, winning accolades in the process (a Super Gold at the 2014 World Cheese Awards, for one).<\/p>\n The milk used to make this cheese comes from animals that spend their days on Pag, an island in the Adriatic Sea. Pag is so rocky\u2014and its vegetation so sparse\u2014that upon arrival, \u201cYou have a feeling that you came onto the moon . . . you think, What does this sheep eat?<\/em>\u201d says Marina Pernar S\u030ckunca, Pas\u030cka Sirana\u2019s head of marketing.<\/p>\n Luckily, \u201cthis sheep is a super animal,\u201d S\u030ckunca says. Small and resistant, they produce milk that reflects the essence of the island, with its aromatic herbs and salt blown in from the sea by winter wind called bura<\/em>.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Salt, cream, sweet, herbal Industry folks go gaga for this striking Emmi Roth cheese, as evidenced by its multiple American Cheese Society Judging & Competition awards. GranQueso Reserve is the extra-aged version of six-month-old GranQueso; both were inspired by manchego (especially by the color and herringbone pattern of the Spanish cheese\u2019s rind). Reserve is remarkable for its exterior, rubbed with a spice blend that includes paprika and cinnamon. After aging a minimum of 15 months in a basketweave form, the cheese develops a compact paste with a sweet finish marked by citrus, spice, and hazelnuts.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Brown butter, pineapple Caseophiles can thank a happy accident for this crystal-crunchy knockout: Cabot Creamery started producing Old School after staffers raved about a forgotten, five-year-old cheddar batch they found in the company\u2019s aging cooler and sampled.<\/p>\n Rigorous testing determines which Cabot cheddars make the aging cut, according to new products manager and cheese grader Craig Gile. Cheeses are checked at two months, four months, and then every four months after that to determine whether they\u2019re developing the desired flavor profile during maturation\u2014a balance of nuttiness, saltiness, sweetness, and acidity that Gile calls \u201cEast Coast bite.\u201d Old School is sold in two-pound blocks exclusively at dakinfarm.com<\/a> and Cabot\u2019s shops\u2014why not take a day-trip to the Green Mountain State to stock up? And don\u2019t forget your friends (hint, hint).<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Pecans, cream, straw, salt If star New York monger Anne Saxelby tells you about a hole in the cheese industry, take it to heart. At least that\u2019s what Charuth Van Beuzekom of Nebraska\u2019s Dutch Girl Creamery at ShadowBrook Farm did when she set out 10 years ago to develop the hard goat cheese Saxelby mentioned was missing in the market.<\/p>\n Thus, Rosa Maria\u2014an aged, Spanish-style, salt-brined stunner\u2014was born. Warming curds at a high temperature lends the cheese an almost-granular texture, Van Beuzekom says, while its distinctive under-the-sea appearance comes from the basket forms she uses (gifts from famed British goat cheese producer Mary Holbrook, whom the American cheesemaker met during a stint working at Neal\u2019s Yard Dairy<\/a>). \u201cIt\u2019s a fun cheese to make,\u201d she says. \u201cEvery time, it\u2019s so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n A first-in-category finish at this year\u2019s American Cheese Society Judging![\"Beecher's](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Beechers_4YrFlagship_int.jpg\")
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\nBeecher’s 4-Year Aged Flagship<\/small><\/center><\/p>\n4-Year Aged Flagship<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> The cheese\u2019s \u201csweetness and slight caramel is awesome with Sauternes,\u201d Dammeier says.<\/p>\n
\nAvonlea Clothbound Cheddar<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar is wonderful with Marcona almonds and a super-hoppy IPA. Grate it over shepherd\u2019s pie, an excellent\u2014and indulgent\u2014salute to the cheese\u2019s Scottish heritage.<\/p>\n![\"Cows](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/COWSCreamery_Avonlea_int.jpg\")
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\nCOWS Creamery Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar<\/small><\/center><\/p>\nBandage Wrapped Cheddar<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING: For a revelatory experience, sample this cheddar with slices of stone fruit or dried figs, pears, or apricots.<\/p>\n
\nBeemster Classic<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Offer guests this cheese alongside honey-roasted pecans or finocchiona, fennel-tinged Tuscan salami. To drink, pick fruit-forward American pinot noir to highlight the cheese\u2019s milky sweetness.<\/p>\n![\"Beemster](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/BeemsterClassic_gouda_int.jpg\")
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\nBeemster Classic<\/small><\/center><\/p>\nDalmatinac<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Croatians set out this cheese as an appetizer alongside traditional cured meats: Dalmatian prosciutto and Slavonian spicy cured sausage, also known as kulen<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\nGranQueso Reserve<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Snack on shards of GranQueso accompanied by a glass of late-harvest riesling.<\/p>\n![\"Shadow](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/ShadowBrook_RosaMaria_int.jpg\")
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\nShadow Brook Farm’s Dutch Girl Creamery Rosa Maria<\/small><\/center><\/p>\nOld School Cheddar<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> When snacking on this robust cheese, Gile kicks it old school with honey and dried fruit.<\/p>\n
\nRosa Maria<\/h2>\n
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\n& Competition was an especially sweet victory: One year ago, Van Beuzekom and her husband, Kevin Loth, completed construction on an onsite cheesemaking facility so that the \u201cpristine, perfect milk\u201d from their rotational-grazing herd no longer has to travel off the farm to become cheese.<\/p>\n