03/21/2011- Gouda (Aged Two Years)

The ninth meeting of the International Cheese Club commenced on March 21, 2011. Present members were Moobs, Scott, Jesse, Tony, and Susie the Cat.

The cheese sampled this week was provided by Jesse. It was a 2 year aged Gouda, served cold with Ritz crackers.

Thoughts:

Moobs- This is one of the better cheeses we've had, but it's also the hardest. Really sharp and similar bite of a sharp cheddar. The Ritz was good with it, complimented it well. Never had any other kind of Goudas, but I enjoyed it. Interesting to have a cheese that crunched every now and then.

Scott- I like this cheese a lot. It wasn't my favorite, but it was up there. The flavor kind of reminded me of a mixture between cheddar and a parmesan. Texturewise it was a very hard cheese. At first the crunchies in it disturbed me, but once we learned what it was I was fine with it. Good by itself, but great with the crackers. Would eat it again.

Jesse- My initial reaction was that it smelled gross, like sour milk. When you bite into it you get the firm cheese bite, but also the hard grains add a crunch. Once you get pass the smell, it crescendos into a nice flavor. I did try it with some corn chips, it tasted the same. I give it an 8, only because of the initial bite.

Tony- The gouda was an alright cheese, very sharp and strong. It had an interesting texture, very crunchy, but not unappealing. It was like an extremely sharp cheddar. The Ritz crackers went phenomenally with it, an excellent combination. You don't need a lot of it, but I would eat it again.

Susie the Cat- Didn't like it.