Chalet Cheese Co-op Limburger
Remember Monterey Jack on the Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers (Rescue Rangers= the cartoon, not the burlesque show)? Well, Monty, as he was known to his friends, was the Australian mouse who helped chipmunks Chip and Dale fight crime. Yet even though he was darn good at helping to put the right fox, cat, or dog in prison, he was better known for his love for cheese.
There was one cheese in particular that if he got a wiff of it, he was gone. Taken. Impassioned. Spent. Could do nothing else until he found that cheese and made it his own. That cheese was Limburger. Even though Monty was a secure mouse and never cared about what others thought, it was apparent in some episodes that Chip n’ Dale thought Monty was crazy for loving a cheese that could smell so strong. Well, Chip n’ Dale were not always the brightest, most cultured rodents.
The fussy chipmunks just didn’t have the opportunity to taste Limburger at the age that would have pleased them. Oh, but I have. I have.
Just washed down, eagerly waiting sweet funk to accumulate.
When I headed to Wisconsin last week to do delicious research for my cheese book, head cheesemaker Myron Olson at Chalet Cheese Co-op tasted us on Limburger at three stages- young & mild, slightly older & soft & sweet, and older & gooey & funky and strong. Amazing. Even though they were all versions of the same washed-rind cheese, the flavors, textures, and strength of the different ages varied like crazy. Honey mustard, rye bread and strawberry jam were also on board too. Young, the Limburger tasted like a fresh, less creamy Red Hawk. Older, the cheese tasted of and had the texture of Tallegio. Oldest, it tasted strong and pungent and begged for its classic pairing of rye bread, honey mustard and onion slices.
Below I share with you photos from my tour at the Chalet Cheese Co-op- the only remaining Limburger producer in the country. If you see Limburger in the U.S. that is made in the country, it’s Chalet. It may have a proprietary label, but it is always Chalet pumping the sweetly funky flavor out. Pick it up and note the dates on the label- they will guide you to finding a cheese age you love. And you will love one of them. More about Limburger in my forthcoming book.
Large pre-washed Limburger bricks before being sliced into smaller, to-go portions.
Bucket holding the Limburger wash- when rubbed with this salt-water brine, the cheese takes on its signature funky sweetness.
Bricks after salting and first or second washing. Scent developing.
The foggy room the cheese is washed down in. Seriously- not a poor exposure thing- it's as humid as it looks.
After the cheese has received sufficient sponge baths, every piece is wrapped up in thin foil by this custom machine.
Master Cheesemaker Myron Olson, accepting an award for his cheese, 1992.
Myron Olson now, showing off the small "Limburger Forever" tattoo on his right arm (I couldn't actually read it, but I deeply felt this was what it said).
Limburger ready to be shipped to a walk-the-plank style distribution company. Danger.
Limburger style.
Places to find Chalet Cheese (please add to the list in the comments section!):
Bi-Rite, San Francisco
Maple Leaf Cheese Sales, WI (will ship, but not recommended in summer) 608-934-1237
Hefty Creek Specialities, WI (owned by one of Chalet Cheese’s award-winning cheesemaker and yodeler), hefticreek@hughes.net, 608/325-6311
Have you had a chance to try Limburger at its different stages? What did you think? Which is your favorite?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, you naughty girl – to tempt me so this way!! You know I absolutely adore Limburger and my quest last summer had me finally find some in Seattle. I bought 2 packages – one for the road and one for home! So, did you bring me some from WI?? Oh, and the best way to enjoy is on rye bread with Best Foods, thin slices of red onion, salt, pepper and an ice cold brewshy on the side! My Great Grandpa Gustov Weber would be so proud!!
Love & Hugs, Becky
Auntie Becky- If my only Limburger-toting choice wasn’t carry-on baggage, I would have brought you home 50 pounds worth.
Call the two Wisconsin companies and see if they’ll ship it for you dry ice or ice pack-style, overnight, to beat the heat! It might be pricier, but the cheese is so reasonably priced compared to other artisan ones that it’ll feel like nothing!
Boomerang Bakery in historic downtown Monroe is the only bakery to bake with limburger cheese from Chalet Cheese Factory. Too bad you didn’t stop down to the bakery to try our limburger rolls. We make two types: sweet dough with limburger rolled in AND chocolate pumpernickel with leeks and limburger kneaded in. Both are delicious eaten fresh or used for sandwiches and brats. We do ship!
I just had limburger for the first time two days ago and man, it was awesome. Smells like rotting bloated corpse and tastes amazing! I looked at the expiration date and it’s very close do expiring, but I don’t think it actually goes bad, does it?
It’s definitely making all other cheeses taste a bit like nothing.
Where can I purchase Limburger in the Seattle area?
Available in Tacoma at the Fred Meyer deli on S. 19th street, near Cheney stadium.
That rhymes with yum, which is how I so like my Limburger.
I wish I could get some in my town. How do I get some?
Where can I purchase domestic Limburger in the Denver area? Who distributes it in that market? What retail stores carry it? I have found some stores that carry the product made in Germany, but it was our experience when we lived in the St. Louis area that the Limburger made here in the U. S. was better, stronger tasting.
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