How We Make Cheese: The Dam That Creates Creamy Gouda

What Happens After Washing the Curds

So you’ve learned how I wash our Gouda curds to reduce acidity—now let me show you what happens next. After I’ve stirred those curds for several hours, it’s time for one of my favorite steps: damming.

Building the Dam

Here’s what I do. I push all the curds to the drain end of the cheese vat while they’re still floating in whey. Then I set up plastic boards on the sides and top, kind of like building a dam to hold back water. We place heavy buckets filled with whey on top and let everything sit for thirty minutes. That’s when the magic happens.

The Science of Knitting

During those thirty minutes, something amazing happens inside your cheese. The curds are knitting together into one solid piece. Picture puzzle pieces fitting perfectly—that’s the science at work. The pressure squeezes out extra whey and helps the curds bond to each other at the molecular level. This creates the smooth, creamy texture you love when you bite into a slice of Gouda.

Damming: A Technique from Holland

Cheese makers in Holland invented this damming technique hundreds of years ago. They needed a way to make large wheels of cheese that would stay together during long journeys by ship and wagon. By pressing the curds together before molding, they created stronger wheels that could travel without falling apart. That’s why Gouda is still popular all over the world today.

Gouda vs. Cheddar

Here’s where making Gouda is different from making Cheddar. With Cheddar, we stack the curds differently and press them much harder and longer. But Gouda is a softer cheese, so I’m gentler with it. Once the whey drains, I remove the boards and cut those pressed curds into blocks to put in the hoops.

Then the wheels go into the cheese press for just four hours—not overnight like Cheddar. I only use one or two-gallon jugs as weights. That lighter touch gives you a cheese that’s still creamy inside while being firm enough to slice beautifully.

Taste the Difference

That’s the art and science of making great Gouda. Every step—from washing to damming to pressing—is designed to give you cheese that tastes amazing and has the perfect texture. Want to taste the difference? Check out our Galen’s Good Old or Galen’s Reserve today.