Photographed by Nina Gallant | Styled by Madison Trapkin
At Jasper Hill Farm, blue cheese has long meant Bayley Hazen Blue—the iconic, award-winning wheel that set the bar for American blues. Withersbrook Blue starts with that same recipe, but instead of wheels, curds are pressed into 4-pound cubes. After aging for 60 days alongside Bayley Hazen Blue, each cube is sealed in a Cryovac pouch and bathed in several ounces of Eden Ciders’ Ice Cider, where it continues to ripen for four to eight months. The process yields a blue that is sweet, lactic, and floral— approachable enough to win over skeptics yet complex enough to intrigue seasoned palates.
Beyond flavor, Withersbrook is clever in its design. The cube format isn’t just visually striking; it’s a logistical win. Pallets carry more cheese, trucks waste less space, and retailers can store it more easily. “I really like the idea of traditional cheeses symbolizing a time and a place where people had problems to solve, and cheese was the solution to their problems,” says Zoe Brickley, Jasper Hill Farm’s director of communications and e-commerce. “Our challenges are different today, but our cheeses still reflect them.”
Withersbrook was built to meet those modern challenges. “It’s a well-designed cheese for a modern market,” Brickley explains. “It checks the boxes of tradition—raw milk, single herd, cave-aged—but it’s also made in a square format that’s really efficient for ripening, shipping, and storage.”
Launched in the spring of 2024, Withersbrook Blue hit the ground running, winning Second Best of Show at this year’s American Cheese Society Judging & Competition. But beyond accolades, Brickley sees it as a sign of where American cheese is headed: a thoughtful blend of tradition, efficiency, and place. For serving, she recommends enjoying it simply on a slice of crusty bread with a small glass of Ice Cider as the perfect dessert.
Josie Krogh
Josie Krogh is culture's Digital Strategy Lead. She earned her master's degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from The University of Georgia. Josie developed a love of food while working at farmstands in the D.C. area as a young adult, and discovered her love of cheese while living and working on a dairy farm on Martha's Vineyard. Josie currently lives in Catskill, NY.
