Did you know that up until now, all of my cheesemaking posts have only covered the first 24 hours of the process? It’s pretty amazing how we can turn liquid milk into a solid wheel of cheese in just a few hours, right?
But the real magic happens after that—when the cheese starts to age.
What is Aging?
Aging isn’t just about sitting the cheese on a shelf and waiting for it to be ready to eat.
The French call what we do affinage (ah-fee-NAHJ). It means caring for cheese as it ages. But to me, it’s so much more than that. It’s about nurturing something beautiful into existence.
Our Artisan Style
At Clover Creek Cheese Cellar, we follow an artisan European style of cheesemaking.
Big factories wrap their cheese in plastic the moment it’s made. Quick, easy, done. But that’s not who we are at Clover Creek.
We place each wheel on shelves made from wood that grew right here in our region. We let our cheese breathe and develop naturally. It takes more time, more work, more heart. But when you taste the difference, you’ll understand why we can’t do it any other way.
The Science of Cheese Flavor
So, why does cheese taste better as it ages? It’s all about how the milk transforms over time.
When cheese is first made, it’s soft and mild. As it ages, bacteria and enzymes break down the proteins and fats in the cheese.
This process creates new flavors, making the cheese sharper, nuttier, or even tangier, depending on the type. The longer the cheese ages, the more complex the flavors become.
It’s like how a fine wine gets better with time!
Plus, the way the cheese is cared for—like turning the wheels and controlling temperature—helps bring out these rich, delicious flavors.
That’s why the aging process is so important to making truly amazing cheese.
Caring for Cheese Every Day
For the first month after the cheese comes out of the press (you can read more about how we press cheese curds into wheels in our last post), my employees and I carefully turn the cheese every day. If we don’t turn them, the cheese can start to bulge at the bottom.
By turning them regularly, we make sure the air gets to all sides, helping the rind develop just right.
I have a weekly schedule to turn all the wheels in our aging coolers.
If any mold starts to form, we wash it off with water, vinegar, brine, olive oil, or wine—whatever is needed to keep the cheese perfect.
We use different washes and washing schedules to develop different flavors in the cheese.
Our Aging Rooms
We have two aging rooms to help our cheeses develop their flavor.
One room is set at 55°F, which is perfect for cheeses like Galen’s Good Old and Clover, where we want the flavor to develop a little faster.
The other room is cooler, at 50°F, and it’s where we age most of our cheeses.
How Long Does Cheese Age?
A common question we get from visitors is, “How long do you age your cheese?”
It depends!
Because we make our cheese with raw milk, the FDA has rules we have to follow. All of the cheeses must age for at least 60 days before we can sell them.
But the aging process doesn’t stop there.
Some of our cheeses, like the Royer Mountain and Four Leaf Clover, age for over eight months!
I’ve even had a few customers ask us to set aside special wheels so they can age for over two years!
What’s Next?
Next, we’ll talk about something just as important as aging—packaging! Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll dive into how we carefully package our cheeses to keep them fresh and delicious for you.
NEXT: Packaging, Packaging, Packaging!
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