Brick was invented in 1877 in Wisconsin and is among America’s first washed rind cheeses. Brick has a heady aroma and modestly full flavor that will almost assuredly please any washed rind cheese lover’s taste buds. Third-generation cheesemaker Joe Widmer still uses the same bricks his grandfather bought in 1922 to weigh down the cheese. Each cheese is hand turned three times the first day. After pressing, the cheeses are placed in a salt brine and then moved to a 60-degree curing room where the bacteria do their magic. The cheese is washed for 7-10 days with a bacterial solution before being packaged in foil for further ripening.
