Cheese Making Workshop - Successful Aging

For over two decades Jim Wallace has been developing cheese making guidelines, answering questions, and studying cheese making in both America and Abroad.

Jim would like to welcome you into his cheese lab and aging cellar where he will take you the through the making of 2 cheeses and how the make affects their aging process. Many other cheeses will be discussed as well.

This workshop will provide cheese makers with an in depth understanding of the cultures, molds and general development for successful aging (Affinage).

For 2 days in this workshop we focus on how the details of making a cheese can prepare for the cave and best influence the outcome for your cheese through maturation in the cave.

If you have gained eperience from his 201 cheese making class or have been making cheese at home and would like to focus on better aging, Jim will take you through the process and along the way we will exam methods and details that may be needed for the best path to aging perfection.

For home cheese makers, small farmsteads, chefs and cheese lovers this is a great way to learn what is involved in making and aging a fabulous range of semi-soft and hard cheese.

Beginning with raw materials, milk, culture and rennet we will examine their role while moving through the specific cheese making steps for two different types of cheese. Each of the cheeses has been chosen to ideally demonstrate varying aging techniques as well as several other aging styles.

This Workshop will improve your knowledge for the journey from 'Milk to a Well Aged Cheese’. Each day these classes will go from 9am-4pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Cancellations made more than 30 days before the scheduled workshop date will be refunded in full.

Course Includes

• Two day class from 9:00am to 4:00pm
• Tasting/discussing styles of surface preparations for aging
• A sampling of Jim’s wine/beer creations
• Delicious lunch each day
• 
Saturday | An array of rind preparations
• 
Sunday | Bring your own cheese for evaluation/discussion
• We will focus on making two from the following:
  (specific cheese may vary according to attendee interests)
  Natural rind | Manchego, Alpine style, or traditional Tomme
  Washed rind | Reblochon or Taleggio
  Mold ripened | Lactic Goat, Robiola or Crescenza style

Topics Covered

• Equipment and tools needed for developing your cheese for aging
• 
 Space requirements for setting up your own aging space
• 
 Waxing vs preparing for Natural Rinds
• 
 Salt application and how it changes the rind development
• 
 Types of culture and molds, their characteristics, and how to get them working through surface development and aging
• 
 Monitoring and controlling the process by observational methods as well as pH and acid titration
• 
 Natural rind development and other surface protective options
• 
 Aging conditions for natural rinds and how to set up and maintain a simple cave

In addition to the the How and Why of the ‘Cheese Make’ itself, this Class goes deeper into aging options, focusing on the cultures (yeast/bacteria/molds), process, and most importantly the care and feeding of cheese in the aging room (Affinage) that takes your efforts to the perfect degree of ripeness, including:

• Post pressing care
• Developing and maintaining the proper moisture/temperature to develop a good rind
• Monitoring and encouraging the surface development or brushing/washing rinds
• Determining when they reach the final development
• Troubleshooting when things go wrong

At the end of the two days, Jim will have taken you through these processes while making these very different cheeses so that you will be prepared for the perfect aging, plus you will have tasted a lot of really great cheese and a really great information packed weekend.

From this class you will have the background to move ahead into aging many of the delicious cheeses you aspire to make

If you have taken our 201 cheese making class, or have already started making cheese at home and would like to improve your craft, Jim will lead you there during this class. This is a two day workshop focusing on the making and aging.
 Each day runs from 9am-4pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

This workshop is for anyone who wants to improve their cheese making skills, learning to make a range of fabulous semi-soft and hard cheeses. Whether you are a home cheese maker, small farmstead, or chef wanting to improve your knowledge of cheese making.

In addition to the the How and Why way of making a cheese this Class goes deeper into aging options, focusing on the cultures (yeast/bacteria/molds), process, and most importantly the care and feeding of cheese in the aging room (Affinage) that takes your efforts to the perfect degree of ripeness, including:

-Developing and maintaining the proper moisture/temperature to develop a good rind.
-Post pressing care.
-Monitoring and encouraging the surface development or brushing/washing rinds to keep them clean.
-Determining when they reach the final development.
Troubleshooting when things go wrong.

At the end of the two days, Jim will have taken you through these processes while making these very different cheeses so that you will be prepared for the perfect aging, plus you will have tasted a lot of really great cheese and a really great information packed weekend.

From this class you will have the background to move ahead into aging many of the delicious cheeses you aspire to make.