Brick
- Producer
- Widmer's Cheese Cellars
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Wisconsin
- Size
- 11 in x 3 in x 2¾ in
- Weight
- 5 lbs
- Website
- www.widmerscheese.com
- Milk
- Cow
- Treatment
- Pasteurised
- Classification
- Semi Soft
- Rennet
- Animal
- Rind
- Washed
- Style
- Washed-Rind
Crafted in a small factory in the town of Teresa, Wisconsin, Widmer's Brick is a true American original.
Joe Widmer's family has been making cheese here since his grandfather, John Widmer, arrived from Switzerland more than 80 years ago. Joe started helping out in the cheese plant at the age of six, and despite leaving school to pursue a career in rock and roll, he ultimately returned to the business and gained his cheesemaker's license. Today, he's a certified Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker.
Milk for production comes from several local dairies, most of which have a very long-standing relationship with Widmer's. In fact, one farm has sold milk to the cheese plant for three generations.
Widmer's adheres closely to the traditional Wisconsin cheesemaking methods, particularly when it comes to brick cheese. Crafted first in 1877 by John Jossi, a Swiss-born immigrant cheesemaker, brick was conceived as similar to Limburger but made with a with drier curd and with lower levels of Brevibacterium linens, a microbe that encourages a orange-hued rind. The cheese was also pressed using bricks.
While many industrially-produced cheeses today call themselves ‘brick,’ Widmer’s claims to be the only producer making authentic brick according to its traditional recipe. For pressing the cheese, Joe even uses the same bricks that his grandfather used. His Aged Brick version is washed regularly with a mixture of brine, cultures, and whey during its aging period, which takes place in a warm (70 degree) room for up to four months.
Tasting Notes
During aging, Widmer’s starts out mild and sweet, later developing a pungent, full aroma due to its repeated washings. The flavor that develops with age is modest yet increasingly full, buttery and savory.
Pairings
Pair it with a cabernet or with a dark beer, such as a stout.
