Cheese calculator
Winemaking
How to make homemade beer cheese?
Preparation:
Adding cultures and rennet:
Heat the milk to 32 °C and add calcium chloride. After 10 minutes, add the starter cultures. Cover and allow the milk to ripen for 60 minutes at 32°C. Add the dissolved rennet and stir thoroughly. Cover and leave the milk to set for 45 minutes at 32°C. When the curd is ready, cut it into 1–2 cm cubes. Stir the curd gently for 5–10 minutes.
Cooking and draining the curd:
Slowly heat the curd to 39°C, increasing the temperature by 1–2 °C every 5 minutes. Once it reaches this temperature, stir to keep it separated for 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, remove 1 cup of whey, and then after another 15 minutes remove another cup of whey. After cooking, the curd should be firm and offer some resistance when pinched between your fingers while crumbled. Leave the curd in the whey for another 30 minutes, stirring every 5–10 minutes to prevent clumping. Drain the whey and transfer the curd with a slotted spoon to a colander lined with cheesecloth and let it drain for 30 minutes, gently stirring from time to time. Transfer the drained curd to another bowl or container, then pour beer over it and let it soak for 45 minutes. Drain off the beer and add salt to the curd, then mix thoroughly to distribute the salt evenly through the curd.
Pressing:
Transfer the curd to a cheese press lined with cheesecloth. Press for 30 minutes at 5 kg, 1 hour at 10 kg, and then 16 hours at 20 kg. Turn and rewrap the cheese from time to time during pressing.
Aging:
Remove the cheese from the press and store at 12°C, turning daily and allowing the surface to dry. When the surface is dry, coat the cheese with wax. Leave to mature at 12°C for 4–6 weeks.
In short:
- 4–5 hours - inoculation and curd preparation
- 20 hours - pressing
- 1 hour - waxing
- 4–6 weeks - aging
