Cheeses with a rind or crust, washed in salted brine, whey, beer, wine, other alcohol, or grape lees that exhibit an obvious smeared or sticky rind or crust: Liederkranz, Limburger, brick types and styles, Pont l’Évêque, Chimay, etc.
Rind is the external surface of the cheese. It can consist of moulds or bacteria (in the case of white mould and washed rind cheeses).
Like white mould cheeses, these styles are also known as ‘surface ripened’. Washed rind cheeses are among the world’s strongest smelling, but many have a surprisingly mild flavour.
The wash attracts bacteria that produce an orange rind and causes a strong taste and odor known to many “stinky cheeses.” Washed rind cheese with a high moisture content gets broken down by these bacteria, resulting in a creamy cheese that becomes oozier with age.
They have a robust aroma reminiscent of cured meats (or smelly socks!) and a very savoury flavour with a hint of sweetness.
The cheese surface is washed during maturation with a brine solution containing a bacterium, Brevibacterium linens (also known as Brevior B. linens). This gives the rind its distinctive aroma and red/orange colour.
Washed Rind cheese
