Alpine Style (Kennebec)

Producer

Kennebec Cheesery

Country

United States

Region

Maine

Size

9 in diameter x 5 in height

Weight

6 lbs

Website

www.kennebeccheesery.com

Milk

Goat

Treatment

Pasteurised

Classification

Hard

Rennet

Animal

Rind

Waxed

Style

Alpine-style

Kennebec Cheesery is run by mother-daughter team Jean Koons and Linnea Koons Morrison. Originally from New Zealand, both Jean and Linnea were raised on farms. They moved to the U.S. about 15 years ago, settling into a property in Maine that has belonged to Jean’s husband’s family for several generations. Now they produce small batches of cheese each day, using milk from their herd of approximately 28 goats, sometimes also using organic Jersey milk from a neighbor’s farm.

Inspired by cheeses of the Alps such as Comté and Gruyère, yet produced using goat’s milk, Alpine Style is aged 6-9 months before sale. 

Tasting Notes

At the end of the aging process the result is a creamy but firm cheese that lends itself to crumbling or grating. Like its famous Alpine predecessors, this cheese has aromas of toasted butter, nuts and grass. The slightly chewy paste is speckled with amino acid crystals. Flavor is round and sharp, nutty and earthy with a slight tang. 

Pairings

Pair Alpine Style with a Riesling or with a port. For beer pairings, try something crisp and hoppy such as Maine Beer Company’s Zoe.