Appalachian

Our original recipe, the first cheese we ever made, Appalachian has evolved a great deal over our years of production. Our goal with the Appalachian has always been to develop a cheese that showcased our milk, milk from a herd developed to fit our farm's mountainous terrain, rather than picking a benchmark cheese and struggling to match the farm to it. To this end we've kept the make simple and focused on affinage, allowing the Appalachian to form a white coat of penicillium molds that compliments its unique flavor.

Aged for at least ninety days in our cellars, Appalachian is a lush, vibrant cheese evocative of cream and butter with a mushroom earthiness that recalls the intensity of the cellars. Its lemon notes shade to toasted as the cheese ages. The texture is velvety, melting on the tongue.

Starting at 

$12.00

Extra-Aged Appalachian

Recently featured in the New York Times "Front Burner" column, this long-aged version of our original recipe Appalachian is aged for over eight month in our cellars. The extra age turns Appalachian into a lush, fruity cheese with overtones of toasted butter, with a mushroom earthiness that recalls the intensity of the cellars and a tangy, smooth finish. The texture is firm but velvety, melting on the tongue. 

Starting at 

$13.00

Smoke-Finished

Available exclusively from our online store -- our newest experiment! Aged the usual two to six months in our cellar, these cheeses have then been "finished" by cold-smoking them with a mix of hickory and applewood chips. The result is a subtle  smoky flavor which compliments the cheese without overwhelming it. The smoking process also gives a lovely velvety texture to the finished cheese. 

Our smoke-finished Appalachian comes in a seven-ounce wedge. Smoke-Finished Grayson is offered as a quarter-wheel of around three-quarters of a pound, and our Mini Grayson is smoke-finished as a whole wheel, usually weighing in between ten and twelve ounces.

Starting at 

$14.00

Mountain Laurel

A long-running, slow-burn experiment, Mountain Laurel is modeled after the hard Italian Grana-style cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and Trentingrana. Currently we are offering the 2 batches we made in 2020 for sale.

At over a year of aging, the Mountain Laurel is a dense, full-bodied cheese, whose pronounced grassy and fruity notes are complimented by a rich melted butter flavor and a hint of nuttiness. Smoother and creamier than its European counterparts, the Mountain Laurel makes an excellent cheese for either the kitchen or the table. 

Starting at 

$16.00

Mini Grayson

A small format version of our bestselling cheese, Minis are washed for two months in our cellars with Hardywood’s Singel ale. These petit beauties have Grayson’s classic washed rind earthiness, complimented by the smooth, yeasty beer flavor, with subtle notes of cream and a rich fruity finish. The texture is spreadably silky and melting right up to the reddish-yellow rind. Each Mini is between two-thirds and three-quarters of a pound.

Starting at 

$26.00

Galax

Our newest experiment! Named for the milky-white flowers of the native Galax evergreen, Galax is a  washed-curd, natural rind cheese similar to Gouda. Its mild flavor and smooth, buttery texture bring out the natural sweetness of the milk, with hints of walnut in the finish.

A website exclusive, this cheese is still in development and may change in size, shape, and flavor as we continue to work on the recipe. 

Starting at 

$12.00

Yearling Appalachian

Our regular Appalachian is sold at four to six months; our Extra-Aged Appalachian, we sell at eight months to a year. So what to call this batch of Appalachian sitting at a whopping eighteen months? This "old man" of a cheese has a robust toasted flavor, with the mild citrus notes of young Appalachian strengthening into a bold blast of tanginess we found reminiscent of aged cheddar. The texture is creamy and luscious, melting on the tongue but with some lovely, crunchy age crystals to add variation. We normally recommend only a light white or sparkling with Appalachian, but our wine-drinking tasters thought this Appalachian would pair well with a bold Cabernet Sauvignon.

We've only one batch of this 2020 Appalachian available, so get a taste while supplies last!

Starting at 

$14.00

Mountaineer

Starting at 

$16.00

Grayson

Starting at 

$25.00