Beemster vs Coolea
Beemster
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Netherlands
Beemster is a Dutch cow's milk cheese in the Gouda tradition, sold from young and supple to long-aged and firm. The paste is smooth when the cheese is young, with small eyes that come from the cultures used in the make. Flavor starts sweet and mild, then grows deeper and more savory as the wheel dries. Cow's milk is the base of the familiar wheels. A shop label often adds a style, such as a younger wheel or a mature one, and that cue matters in the kitchen.
Coolea
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- Waxed or sealed
- Country
- Ireland
- Place
- Coolea
Coolea is a hard cow's milk cheese made in Coolea, Ireland, in the manner of a Dutch Gouda. Wheels are pressed, brined, and coated in wax, then aged until the paste turns dense and sweet. A younger wheel is smooth and mild, with a buttery dairy taste. A longer-aged wheel tastes more of caramel, butterscotch, and toasted nut. The milk is Irish, while the method follows Gouda-making rather than a sharp crumbly style.