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"sbillings" wrote: I would love to get into this but I just don't have the space. I did poke around tinternet to find out how easy it would be and found this step by step guide: BEGINNING CHEESE MAKING[/url:9mdutxbj]quote]

Séan, I found that website to be very interesting and it was the reason why I signed up for a cheesemaking course in Leitrim. It took the mystery out of the cheesemaking process and I was confident I could do it. Any homebrewer has most if not all the equipment you need to get started.

To give a very brief outline of the process, here goes:

1. Raise milk (Glenisk supermarket bought milk in my case) to a certain temperature.
2. Add a packet of bacteria culture. Hold temp for 45 mins.
3. Add a few drops of rennet (from a tincture bottle), a coagulating agent of the milk. Hold temp for another 45 mins.
4. At the "clean break", cut the curds into small pieces, and drain.
5. Pack into muslin cloth and press under weight.
6. Age as long as is necessary, or as long was you can. My cheddar recipe suggests 6 months for my 1kg.

This is a brief summary. Keep in mind that doing a traditional cheddar (including the "cheddaring" step will take as long as an all-grain brew day, 6 hours maybe). This is as long as it gets though. Other styles of cheese can be done in about 3/4 hours.
It's time consuming but rewarding, like brewing.

With a new category in the forum I might post a full recipe and process from a book I have (!!!)

"Mr Cheesemaker":3okcz1vo wrote: When you make your cheese, you'll soak it in brine prior to maturing. The salt will then result in a rind around the cheese, protecting the inside. If the outside gets mouldy, just wipe it clean. The wax (or any polymeric coating) is more for commercial cheeses, that need to look appealing from the outside. [/quote:3okcz1vo]

[b:3okcz1vo]Chili beer[/b:3okcz1vo] : It eventually mellowed quite well. But still a bit too hot for drinking neat. Had a veggie stew yesterday cooked with a pint of it, very pleasant.