Pedigree:
Beecher's began in 2002, less like a farmhouse start-up than the cheesemaking equivalent of a brew pub. Owner Kurt Beecher Dammeier took over a space in the popular Pike Place Market in Seattle, complete with a fully exposed cheese kitchen and cafe. Now, using local milk from herds around Seattle, Beecher's has racked up a wide array of national and international awards for its cheeses.
Beecher's Flagship is stored covered, in 40-pound blocks, but every year some of the curds are set aside to make 18-pound reserve "truckles" (small wheels), which are aged in open air and develop a natural mold rind. Although almost identical to cheddar, the Flagship has an added culture (often used in Gruyere and Emmental cheeses) that diminishes bright acidity and accents richness.
Taste:
The first taste of Beecher's Flagship Reserve is a slap in the face for all those pounds of supermarket cheese you've bought over the course of your life, a multitude of flavors and textures assaulting your senses.
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 7, 2009.