Today's cheddar.... yeah it's from Canada and it's aged at least 3 years.
Actually there is a little more to this cheese than what stands in the title, but I think they were running out of space. Like the label says it is "Super Sharp" as well, but don't be fooled; this is not a cheddar that tries to stand on its sharpness alone. Made using milk that has been heat treated but not pasteurized, a process carefully described at the company's utilitarian website, Old Quebec Vintage 3 yr Cheddar truly has a complex and solid flavor, an outlier in the rather crowded cheddar field.
Origin: Canada
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: Microbial
Affinage: At least 3 years, less than 7
Notes: The 3yr cheddar is at least three, the 7yr at least seven, but what they don't tell you is that they actually do the majority of the aging in Lancaster County, PA. Conspiracy?
Thoughts: From the first the flavor has a pronounced meaty and salty tang, a refreshing change from the one-dimensional sweet tang of most cheddars. The age has made this a rather crumbly cheese but still it is impressively creamy, and once the paste breaks down on the palate more the familiar sweet notes are right at home, played off of by the occasional caramel note. The sharpness of this cheese, while certainly there and a major factor in the overall flavor, comes short of overshadowing the other nuances of the flavor, and the result is a fully developed taste that is sure to please. Although this feature is more apparent in the older variety, even at 3 years the calicum casein clusters are already a delight and add just more character to an already impressive cheese.
Caution
If the Canadians and the Amish ever start working more closely together we in the USA might have a crisis on our hands. That concentration of niceness and accents can only mean one thing: violent revolution.
On a separate and non-link-related note, did you know that when you google image search "Amish Army" there aren't actually any funny pics? Pity, really.
Actually there is a little more to this cheese than what stands in the title, but I think they were running out of space. Like the label says it is "Super Sharp" as well, but don't be fooled; this is not a cheddar that tries to stand on its sharpness alone. Made using milk that has been heat treated but not pasteurized, a process carefully described at the company's utilitarian website, Old Quebec Vintage 3 yr Cheddar truly has a complex and solid flavor, an outlier in the rather crowded cheddar field.
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: Microbial
Affinage: At least 3 years, less than 7
Notes: The 3yr cheddar is at least three, the 7yr at least seven, but what they don't tell you is that they actually do the majority of the aging in Lancaster County, PA. Conspiracy?
Thoughts: From the first the flavor has a pronounced meaty and salty tang, a refreshing change from the one-dimensional sweet tang of most cheddars. The age has made this a rather crumbly cheese but still it is impressively creamy, and once the paste breaks down on the palate more the familiar sweet notes are right at home, played off of by the occasional caramel note. The sharpness of this cheese, while certainly there and a major factor in the overall flavor, comes short of overshadowing the other nuances of the flavor, and the result is a fully developed taste that is sure to please. Although this feature is more apparent in the older variety, even at 3 years the calicum casein clusters are already a delight and add just more character to an already impressive cheese.
Caution
If the Canadians and the Amish ever start working more closely together we in the USA might have a crisis on our hands. That concentration of niceness and accents can only mean one thing: violent revolution.
On a separate and non-link-related note, did you know that when you google image search "Amish Army" there aren't actually any funny pics? Pity, really.
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