In the heart of Seattle's historic Pike Place Market you'll find the only artisanal cheesemaker in the city. As a lover of fine cheese from a young age, Kurt Beecher Dammeier learned about cheesemaking while enrolled at Washington State University and in 2003, his dream, Beecher's Handmade Cheese, became a reality. Nestled amongst the numerous food stalls and bustling activity of Pike Place Market, Beecher's has made the production of hand-crafted cheese not just an art, but an exhibition. Visitors can peer into the windowed cheesemaking kitchen and see milk sourced from local dairies just outside of Seattle being turned into beautiful curds and finally, whole wheels of exceptional cows' milk cheese. In the summer of 2011, Kurt opened a similar facility in the Flatiron district of New York, hoping to convey his passion for cheese in one of the greatest food cities in the world.
Beecher's Flagship has a slightly loose, curdy texture, and always seems to walk the line between crumbling and maintaining its solidity. A pleasant cheddary acidity cuts through deeper notes of crown butter and cream.
Farm / Company: Beecher's Handmade Cheese
Cheesemaker: Brad Sinko
Proprietor: Kurt Dammeier
Affineur:
City, State: Seattle, WA
Region: Pacific Northwest
Country: USA
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetarian
Rind: Natural
Texture: Hard
Aging: 15 months
Size(s): 5 pound block