Hoch Ybrig
- Raw
- Animal Rennet
- Age: 8 Months
- Cow Milk
- Switzerland
- ApproachableAdventurous
- SoftHard
Hoch Ybrig’s robust flavor stands as tall as the mountainous Swiss ski slopes for which its named. This cheese has all the strong, savory onion notes you want in an Alpine, plus a surprisingly fruity finish. That’s thanks to regular washes in cider during its eight months of aging. It’s firm but creamy on the palate, with a scattering of eyes and a slight crystalline crunch. Melt it into fondue, or slice and serve with Northwoods Apiaries Buckwheat Honey to bring out the subtle sweetness.
“This cheese is such a delight to eat; every bite tastes as great as the one before with its full flavor and smooth texture. A simple dish of cornichons on the side is all you need to elevate this into a modest yet complete appetizer.”
- Hoch Ybrig is an Alpine cheese, referring to cheeses made in the Alps. They can be Swiss, French, Austrian, or Italian, and are large wheels of firm, nutty cheese with a smooth, elastic paste that melts well.
- The recipe and aging process for Hoch Ybrig was dreamed up by Swiss affineur Rolf Beeler; it’s made in collaboration with cheesemaker Josef Werder.
- They craft the wheels with local raw milk from pasture-fed cows.
- While it follows a similar make process to Gruyère, the regular washings in cider throughout aging bring out a slight sweetness in this savory cheese.
- The crystalline crunch comes from tyrosine, an amino acid that forms white crystals in the interior paste of some aged cheeses.
- The eyes (or holes) form during aging when carbon dioxide is produced by bacteria, creating bubbles in the curd.
- With its strong, complex flavor, Hoch Ybrig can be the star of a cheese souffle, cheese puffs, or a gratin. But it also blends beautifully with other Alpines in a fondue.
When you receive your cheese, unpack the order and refrigerate the items. We recommend using the cheese paper we send most of our products in to store the cheese. The cheese paper helps cover the items and stop them from drying out, while also allowing the cheese to breathe. Since cheese is mold, it's a living thing! If you cut off air circulation to the cheese, you can actually cause it to suffocate and spoil at a faster rate.
