Ameribella

Producer

Jacobs and Brichford

Country

United States

Region

Indiana

Size

Approx. 7 in x 5 in x 3 in

Weight

2.6 lbs

Website

jandbcheese.com

Milk

Cow

Treatment

Raw

Classification

Semi Soft

Rennet

Animal

Style

Washed-Rind

In the heart of Southeastern Indiana’s Whitewater Valley, on a farm that has been in the Brichford family since 1819, Jacobs and Brichford Farmstead Cheese produces raw milk cheese from their own grass-fed cows. Their herd of Jersey, Normande, and Tarantaise cross cows are grazed through fresh pastures every day, and the dairy follows nature’s milking rhythm, operating on a seasonal basis.

In the mid-1990’s, the farm, run by Leslie Jacobs and Matthew Brichford, transitioned from raising beef cattle to dairying. In 2010, after years of studying cheesemaking, they built their cheese plant and sold their first cheese two years later. A family venture, Matthew Brichford manages the farm and makes the cheese, while Leslie Jacobs takes care of marketing with their daughter Maize and daughter Miah handles milking and grazing management.

Jacobs and Brichford follow a European influence with their cheeses, says Leslie Jacobs, and they wanted to meld those influences with something unique for Ameribella, which was released in June 2012. Inspired by the cheeses of Northern Italy, like Taleggio, Ameribella is a semi-soft, washed rind cheese with a salty and savory flavor. Ameribella is brick-shaped with a distinct orangey-pink rind, assertive aroma, and pliant pudgy interior.

After the curdling process, Ameribella is aged for a minimum of 60 days in a cool aging room. For the first 45 days, the block is wiped with a brine solution—giving it a distinct orange rind. It’s then wrapped in ripening papers and flipped for the next 15 days. After 60 days, it’s ready to be sold. According to Jacobs, blocks aged a bit longer—even up to four months—are the tastiest, though with high demand, Ameribella doesn’t tend to make it that long.

Tasting Notes

On the nose, Ameribella has a pungent aroma reminiscent of yeasty bread. The golden-colored paste is doughy and scattered with eyes. On the palate, it’s savory, salty, and slightly lactic with assertive flavors of mustard and yeast. With age, the flavor sweetens, adding complexity, and the paste becomes runnier.

Pairings

Ameribella is full-flavored enough to eat alone or paired simply with crusty bread and charcuterie. It’s well-suited by crisp sides like slices of cucumber or pears. In cheesy dishes like risottos or macaroni and cheese, Ameribella adds a delicious complexity of flavor.