From the Cheese Portraits series.

Wanda Barras at Belle Ecorce Farms sent me a 6.75 lb wheel of her aged hard farmstead cheese. She makes small batches of her cheeses that are primarily for her local farmers market. This one is called "Abita 28" because it was made with Abita Beer, a local brewery to this Louisiana Farm, and this is the 28th wheel she made that year in 2019.

This beautiful raw milk, natural rinded modified Gouda recipe is aged just under a year and made with their Jersey Cow Milk and a little of their goat milk. It's flavored with Abita Beer and hops buds and hops pollen. The specks are the hops and this rustic wheel has the beauty that comes with a year in the aging cave. I love the rustic texture and the natural molds on the rind it picks up from the cave.

This also marks my 49th state to paint a cheese portrait from! Thanks to Wanda, I have come within one of my final goal and with a delicious cheese to savor.

Origin: Louisiana

Price: $800