Snowmass

Producer

Haystack Mountain

Country

United States

Region

Colorado

Size

7.5 in diameter x 3.5 height

Weight

6.5 lbs

Website

haystackgoatcheese.com

Milk

Cow

Treatment

Pasteurised

Classification

Firm

Rennet

Microbial

Rind

Washed

Style

Alpine-style

Cow’s milk cheeses are a relatively new venture for this Longmont, Colorado-based dairy, which was founded as a farmstead goat operation in 1989. It was run for nearly two decades by founder and retired teacher Jim Schott, until he ceased his daily creamery work in 2008. Around that time, the dairy began a partnership with the Skyline Correctional Facility in Cañon City, purchasing milk from the facility’s goat farm—a consistent, quality milk source that offers training opportunities for inmates. (For more info, check out culture’s 2012 photo essay on the partnership.) The cow’s milk cheeses are made with organic milk sourced from a local dairy.

Snowmass was inspired by raclette, the great melting cheese of the Alps. These cow’s milk wheels are aged two to three months, and washed with brine frequently early on to develop an orange colored rind. Like its inspiration, Snowmass is perfect when melted—over potatoes with a side of pickles and ground black pepper, over pasta, or over veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.

Tasting Notes

Snowmass smells savory—think onions cooked in beef fat—with a whiff of rye bread and that signature washed-rind tang. Flavor begins with a pickle-y tartness that relaxes into a buttery finish with a hint of caraway.

Pairings

Pair it with a sauvignon blanc or a Beaujolais. For beer pairings, try a good-quality pilsner.