The American Washed Rind Revolution

The American Washed Rind Revolution

There’s something undeniably magnetic about washed rind cheeses. They’re a bit of a headache to handle—tacky on the outside, luxuriously gooey inside, and not exactly easy to wrap. Take one home, and your car might smell like a gym bag that’s seen better days. Yet, despite all this, we just can’t quit them. Among cheese enthusiasts, “stinky” is basically a badge of honor—a sure way to earn insider points at the cheese counter.

But this obsession is relatively new in the United States. Until the late 1990s, these pungent wheels were mostly European imports, known to connoisseurs but largely absent from American shelves. The American Cheese Society didn’t even recognize washed rinds as a category until 2003. Domestic cheesemakers were slow to embrace the bold, sometimes divisive style, likely because the American palate was still warming up to funk. Craft beer was timid and wine leaned toward sweet. Fresh goat cheese was just finding its footing, and a cultural awakening to more adventurous flavors was still on the horizon.

The Origins of the Wash

Washing cheese is an ancient practice, dating back to the seventh century. Legend has it that a Benedictine monk, trying to rid a wheel of mold, repeatedly washed it with saltwater or alcohol. When the mold persisted, he kept scrubbing—and accidentally created the perfect environment for Brevibacterium linens, the bacterium that gives washed rinds their famously footy aroma. The monks eventually tasted the result and discovered Muenster.

The wash—whether a gentle smear, a full dunk, or a spray—promotes bacterial growth, breaking down fats and proteins from the outside in. The style can range from lightly scented, firm cheeses like Gruyere to custardy, oozy wonders such as Taleggio. Over centuries, cheesemakers experimented with washes in beer, brandy, and buttermilk across France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and beyond.

In the United States, the tradition arrived with Swiss immigrants in the mid-1800s. Settling in Wisconsin, they brought Alpine cheesemaking techniques. John Jossi, a Swiss expat, created brick cheese by pressing curds between heated bricks and washing them in whey, while Emil Frey later introduced Liederkranz. For decades, these two cheeses dominated the American washed rind scene.

A Smear-Ripened Renaissance

The American Cheese Society finally recognized washed rinds as a category in 2003, with everything from Liederkranz to Brick styles competing. By 2008, the category was booming, prompting the ACS to add subcategories for hard and aged washed rinds. Since then, growth has been relentless, fueled in part by the freedom American cheesemakers enjoy—they aren’t strictly bound by European tradition, allowing them to explore bold, inventive approaches.

Stars of the Current Scene

• Winnimere – Jasper Hill Farms, Greensboro Bend, VT, Raw Cow
  Inspired by Vacherin, this winter-only wheel is wrapped in spruce cambium and aged for 60 days. The result is a snowy-white, pudding-like paste with piney, bacon-tinged richness—a cozy, festive experience.
• Grayson – Meadowcreek Dairy, Galax, VA, Raw Cow
  With a strawberry-pink tacky rind and golden interior, Grayson evokes Taleggio and Reblochon, yet it’s unmistakably American. Its silky paste delivers flavors of sweet cream, steak, and green onion, nourished by rotationally grazed Jersey cows.
• Cabra La Mancha – Firefly Farms, Accident, MD, Pasteurized Goat
  A Spanish-inspired semi-soft, Cabra La Mancha is brined daily for three months, yielding a thin, yammy rind and ivory paste with malty notes and a gentle goat tang.

Hard Washed Rinds

Soft, runny wheels often steal the spotlight, but hard washed rinds are staking their claim too. Uplands’ Pleasant Ridge Reserve, made from grass-fed summer milk, delivers a salty, fruity finish reminiscent of Alpine classics. Cowgirl Creamery’s Hop Along, washed in hard cider, offers nutty, apple-crisp flavors. Both show that American cheesemakers are increasingly confident in marrying tradition with local creativity.

Washed rind cheeses have gone from niche curiosity to a full-blown American obsession. From sticky, pungent soft wheels to savory, hard-aged beauties, the category now offers a spectrum of experiences for the adventurous eater.

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