Haystack Peak, A Longmont Treat

Another cheese coming from the Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy (now with newly updated website); today's goat-milk offering is an example of how a mild cheese can be done right. It is made in molds at the busy pasteurized milk room of the dairy and then carefully watched and tended as it ages. Haystack Peak is a surface ripened goat cheese, in the same way that Humboldt Fog is, so the flavor and textures are nuanced and vary greatly with age, making for an overall versatile and delicious product.

Origin: Colorado, USA
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetable
Affinage: 3-4 Weeks
Notes: A bloomy, surface ripened goat cheese with vegetable ash in the rind. Will continue to ripen until you cut into it, making for a flavor that can vary from very sweet and milky to a richer goat's milk tang depending on the age. 

Thoughts: I really wanted to title this post "Haystack Peak, a Mountain of Flavor", but that would be 1) a really really bad play on words and 2) just not entirely true. Do not fear, however, because Haystack Peak does mild in a way that keeps you wanting more instead of just getting bored. A light and airy delight, the flavor is here and it is good. One bite comprised of the sweet and cleanly grassy fresh chevre-like interior, the slightly stronger but still milky creamline, and the bloomy/ashy white rind is an experience not to be missed. The tangyness of the rind is just right and there is never that hint of ammonia that so often accompanies surface ripened cheeses. The three distinct textures combine beautifully for a very refreshing departure from the everyday chevre. It pairs nicely with all sorts of fresh fruits and even has enough complexity to the flavor and texture to be eaten by itself. 

Caution

At room temperature this one's a bit messy... in the best possible way. Keep it on a plate and loosely covered while it's warming to keep it from drying out and keep those baguettes on hand for delicious delicious damage control once you cut into it.