PORT TOWNSEND — Mt. Townsend Creamery, the county’s first artisan cheese-making business, has won a blue ribbon for its Trailhead cheese at the United States Cheese Championships Wisconsin.
The first place at this month’s championships at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., marks Mt. Townsend’s second top finish in a national competition for Trailhead, an alpine Tomme-style cheese.
This year’s contest had 1,360 entries from 36 states, making it the largest U.S. contest ever hosted. Last year’s Trailhead win was at the American Cheese Society competition in Chicago.
Mt. Townsend’s Trailhead won best in class in the semi-soft cheese category with one of the highest evaluation scores in the contest.
The cheese has a natural rind and a mellow complex flavor that develops over four months at the creamery tucked away at 338 Sherman St. off Upper Sims Way.
“This is a great award for us to have won, because it shows that we are improving the quality of our cheese,” said Mike Vicha, a cheese maker at the creamery. Trailhead is the creamery’s mountain cheese.
It is a rustic, medium-hard whole milk cheese that is mellow, rich and versatile, creamery staff said.
Made by hand in 6-pound wheels, it is pressed and brined before being washed in a mixture of saltwater and yeasts for its first two months.
After four months, it develops a distinctive natural mold rind and its full nutty flavor. At six months, Trailhead becomes dryer, with a bit of sharpness.
Creamery owners Matt Day and Ryan Trail on Monday were in Jura, France, near the Swiss Alps, attending a seminar.
The creamery’s cheeses are sold at several Port Townsend and Sequim locations and from Edmonds to Olympia.
They are also sold at the Port Townsend, Ballard, Capitol Hill and West Seattle farmers markets throughout the summer.
Mt. Townsend Creamery is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
