Wow, it’s been a little while, eh? Time for some cheese blogging.

Today we have a lovely little Wisconsin cheddar, from Carr Valley.

More below the cut.

Biographical Information:
Carr Valley 4 Year Cheddar
Obtained from: Madison Whole Foods (University Avenue)
Price: $14.99/lb

This cheddar comes from local cheesemakers Carr Valley, whose cheese I’ve sampled around town over the last year or so. I think I had a four year organic Carr to review but it looks like it slipped my mind. Hmm.

At any rate, this is basically your high-grade, Wisconsin sharp yellow cheddar. It’s largely comparable to Brennan’s Four Year Cheddar, though obviously a bit pricier, as I believe the Brennan’s sells for about 9 dollars a pound. You can taste some more bitter notes in this cheese, and it’s a tad drier. It feels a little older, though obviously not by much; aside from being another 4 year cheddar, it doesn’t have the calcium crystals that cheddars develop as they get older.

This is a fine middle of the road four year cheddar, nice for crumbling, tasty as a topping. I personally have a slight preference for the Brennan’s Four Year, but I could see going with Carr Valley for variety. It’s a bit more assertive so it would probably do better as a cheese for sampling; as a component of cooking, you might want to go with the Brennan’s. If you are particularly averse to, or in favor of, bitter cheese, then you can obviously make your decision based on that as well.

Whatever floats your boat.

Final Scores:
Me: A-