Beautiful Blue

Brothers Mateo and Andy Kehler, who bought a Vermont farm in 1998, create their cheeses year-round from the milk of about three dozen cows.

How the cheese is made…

Between May and September, the cows graze on pasture while the rest of the year they spend in the barn feeding on local hay.

To produce the cheese, the fresh milk is cultured and inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti. Once the curds coalesce, they are scooped into forms that will yield a cheese about six inches wide and eight inches tall. After draining, they are unmolded and salted. (Janet Fletcher, Cheese & Wine)

At this early stage, the cheese is white throughout and hasn’t developed its blue veining. The following week, they are stuck with needles to provide the air needed for blue mold to grow.

Bayley Hazen Blue is finished aging after seventy-five to ninety days.

Appearance, Flavour, Aroma and Texture

This tall, seven-pound cylinder of blue cheese has a fudge-like texture, a little drier than other blues, yet also creamy.   

The aroma can be baconlike, with hints of smoke and meat (Janet Fletcher).

The paste is dense and creamy, with well-distributed blue veins.

The flavor is mellow, sweet, and approachable, without the bite of many blues making Bayley an ideal choice for any lover of blue cheese, but with a balance of flavors that renders it accessible to those new to the style.

Pairing suggestion…

Try pairing with a fruity red dessert wine with concentration and depth, tawny port, toasty Imperial Stout, or a hunk of dark chocolate.

Bayley is also ideal for crumbling over a juicy burger or adding to a salad with spinach, walnuts, and dried