Big Sky Round Clothbound Aged Cheddar

Our Blue Label Clothbound Cheddar Cheese is aged inside an access-controlled cheese cave for 60, 90 and 180 days.

Cheddar cheese was first produced during the middle ages in the small town of Cheddar in Somerset, England. Cheddar cheese is a decidedly United Kingdom invention. The clothbound cheddar has a more disputed history and disagreement exists whether the English also came up with the clothbound aging process or if early US colonies invented this unique aging method. 

John Smith
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Utilizing one of early America’s bountiful natural resources, cotton was made available for cheese production purposes. Wrapping the cheese in cloth became a popular method to limit moisture loss and forms a hard rind; better protecting the aging wheels of precious cheese from the unpredictable New World weather.


Today, clothbound cheddars are typically made by smaller producers, due in large part to the lengthy, labour intensive process of aging it appropriately. While that means that clothbound cheeses may cost a little more, it also means that they are often made of higher quality milk from healthier cows from more sustainable producers.  

John Smith
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Artisan cheese

Round Clothbound Aged Cheddar

We only use fresh milk from cows that have not been treated with antibiotics, hormones or animal by-products. The cows’ diet must be made up with Non-GMO grains such as corn and barley and forages such as alfalfa, corn or barley silage, legumes or grass.

How it’s Made

All cheddar, regardless of aging style, starts in the same way. Cheese makers heat milk before adding starter culture and rennet and allowing curd to form. Once the curd has been cut into pieces and those curds have settled, the whey is then poured off and the curds are allowed to drain in cheesecloth.

As the curds drain, they begin to knit together into a solid mass. This mass is sliced into smaller loaves and stacked on top of one another. The weight of these curd towers helps to drain off whey from the curds.

After repeating this stacking process (called cheddaring) several times over, the loaves form a long, dense curd structure. These loaves are broken back to curd form by hand or by machine, then salted and pressed to whatever shape the cheese maker desires - though traditional clothbound cheddars are usually formed as a wheel.

After the shape has set, the wheel is coated in some type of fat (typically lard) and wrapped in cotton cloth before being aged in a cool, humidity-controlled environment. The aging process can last anywhere from a few months to several years, depending on personal taste.

By the time the aging process is complete, bacteria have completely consumed the lard coating, leaving a flavourful rind in its place once the cloth is removed.  

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Clothbound Cheddar cheese

Our Blue Label Clothbound Cheddar Cheese is aged inside an access-controlled cheese cave for 60, 90 and 180 days.


Gouda cheese

The most important Dutch cheese, Gouda is made from whole milk.


Feta cheese

Feta cheese dates back to the eighth century B.C. when cheese made with sheep's milk was stored in brine.


Cheese Curds/Squeakers

 Squeaker curds are mild in taste, with natural sea salt and a springing texture that make a squeaking noises when eating them.

Our Story

Artisan Cheese

We love everything about making cheese

Fresh Organic Milk

Pure, organic, whole cow’s milk produced by Montana dairies with high butterfat content.

BSC only uses milk from cows not treated with antibiotics, growth hormones or rBST. 

Non GMO

The dairy cows are fed cereal grains and forages such as barley, corn and alfalfa without the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (“GMO”).

No Antibiotics

No antibiotic treatments are permitted for dairy cows producing milk.

No Hormones

No steroid or hormone treatments are permitted for dairy cows producing milk.

Contact Our Shop

Get the best tasting cheese made from fresh Montana milk and support the local economy.

8346 US HIGHWAY 89, GREAT FALLS, MT 59405

contact@bigskycheese.com

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