Monthly Cheese

CREMONT

Cremont (a play on the words cream and Vermont) is a mixed milk cheese that combines fresh Vermont goat's milk and Vermont cream. It's hand-crafted at Vermont Creamery and has an incredible decadent texture; it's almost silky. Cremont has a beautiful wrinkly rind, which encases the rich paste. Its flavor has hints of hay, hazelnut, and mushrooms, with a slight tang that is balanced by a milky sweetness. Cremont is an award-winning cheese, winning gold at the 2011 World Cheese awards and 1st place at the 2011 U.S. Championship Cheese awards.
  • Farm/Producer/Importer: Vermont Creamery
  • Place: Websterville, VT
  • Style: Bloomy
  • Milk Type: Goat, Cow
  • Rennet: Traditional
  • Age: Vegetarian
  • Pairing:  Sauvignon Blanc, Hefeweizen.

READING

Farms for City Kids Foundation is a program that brings students from nearby cities, most of whom have never had the chance to travel, up to the farm in southwestern Vermont to spend time helping with farm chores while learning. The farm also produces cheese which helps support the foundation. Cheesemaker, Jeremy Stephenson crafts Reading in a raclette style, so it also is an excellent melting cheese. The flavors are buttery and nutty, and the texture is smooth. The cheese is washed with brine which contributes to some funkiness. Reading is a cheese we can't get enough of, and we love the idea that when we buy it, we are supporting a farm that contributes to the lives of kids.

  • Farm/Producer/Importer: Spring Brook Farm/Jeremy Stephenson
  • Place: Reading, Vermont
  • Style: Semi-soft
  • Milk Type: Raw Cow
  • Rennet: Traditional
  • Age: 3-5 months
  • Pairing: Pinot Gris, Belgian blond ale

L'AMUSE GOUDA

We work closely with cheese selector and importer Essex St. Cheese to source this incredibly aged gouda. The cheese is produced in northern Holland by the Cono Co-op and then is aged by affineur and cheesemonger Betty Koster. Betty ages these wheels at a slightly warmer temperature than typically aged gouda. The result is a deep flavor, plenty of tyrosine crunch (proteins), and a texture that is not too dry and brittle. It is creamy with a distinctive hazelnut flavor and deep caramel notes.

  • Farm/Producer/Importer: Cono Co-op/Fromagerie L'Amuse/Essex St Cheese
  • Place: Beemster region, The Netherlands
  • Style: Hard
  • Milk Type: Cow
  • Rennet: Traditional
  • Age: 24-26 months
  • Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon, double IPA