The Cheese Insider

Early this summer I visited the Chalet Cheese Co-op, located in the rolling green hills outside Monroe, Green County. Like many small and medium-sized cheese plants in Wisconsin it is located near the farms where the milk used in the cheese is produced. This co-op is another example of Wisconsin’s long history of strong dairy cooperatives.

Founded in 1885 by five farmers, it is now owned by 26 different faming families, all of them from Green County. The area has played a huge role in the history of cheesemaking, especially in Swiss and other European style cheeses.

Myron Olson, Master Cheesemaker, began working at this plant while still in high school, and became the general manger and head cheesemaker in 1992. The plant produces a variety of cheeses, including swiss, baby swiss, brick, muenster, cheddar, and the headliner, Limburger. It is the only cheese plant left in America that produces this robust cheese.

Limburger has the unique ability to generate very strong opinions, one way or another. The cheese was created by Trappists monks in Limburg, Belgium in the early to mid 1880s. It is a surface- ripened washed-rind cheese that develops an amazing aroma and flavor – either you like it or you don’t. One thing for sure, it does not taste like it smells, otherwise nobody could eat it.

The cheese is made into a rectangle, then smeared with a secret solution known as Brevibacterium linens and placed on pine boards in a climate controlled aging room for at least a week. The cheese is then wrapped in parchment, waxed paper, and foil, which allows it to breathe and develop. When the cheese is young it is firm, chalky, and a bit salty. After 3 – 4 months of age, it turns into a sweet, soft and earthy cheese. Finally, after five months it has a soft, runny texture, powerful aroma, and full, robust flavor.

When storing this cheese in your refrigerator it is strongly suggested that you place it in a sealed container, otherwise you are going to have a very aromatic smell taking over. Best thing to do is to eat the cheese, then you don’t have to worry about the smell in the frig. Limburger is the cheese that helped create one of Wisconsin’s only truly original cheeses, Brick. For many Limburger was a bit too aromatic and the people wanted a softer, milder washed-rind cheese, hence the creation of Brick cheese in 1877.

I love a good, aged piece of Limburger on a slice of strong rye or pumpernickel bread, sliced onions and a dash of mustard. A good hearty beer rounds out a truly gourmet experience, try it, you may really like it.

Michael C. Thomas is co-owner of Schoolhouse Artisan Cheese with his wife Janice. With locations in Ellison Bay and Egg Harbor, they aim to bring the best of Wisconsin artisan cheeses to Door County, and with “The Cheese Insider” Michael hopes to bring all things cheese to readers of the Pulse.