Iowa State University Creamery to release limited-edition Cheddar cheese

Patrons of the Iowa State University Creamery will have the opportunity to sink their teeth into a new product this fall. Just in time for homecoming, ISU Creamery-made, limited-edition, aged Cheddar cheese will be available for purchase by the Iowa State community.

The new, cyclone-shaped and cardinal-waxed cheese, is the Creamery’s second foray into cheese production, after making fresh Cheddar cheese curds available for purchase at their retail location, this past April. Iowa State students, under the direction of Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Virginia M. Gladney Professor Dr. Stephanie Clark, commit to a one-and-a-half-day process of monitoring culture and enzyme activity and salting the curds, before pressing them into hoops overnight and cutting them into cyclone shapes the next morning, with a custom-made cheese knife for the occasion. The 5 oz. (minimum) pieces of fresh Cheddar cheese are then hand-dipped in cardinal wax. Then the waxed Cheddar cheeses are aged a minimum of 8 weeks prior to sale. 

“Cheese has always been planned for the ISU Creamery—it just took a while for us to get there,” Clark said. “Whether making ice cream or cheese, our students are gaining valuable hands-on experience in core concepts of sanitation, chemistry, microbiology and engineering—preparing them for careers beyond ISU is the primary goal of the ISU Creamery.”

A limited first release of 15 pieces will be available on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, in celebration of the beginning of Iowa State’s Homecoming week. An additional 15 pieces will be offered Friday, Oct. 22 for those in Ames for the weekend. Purchases can be made at the ISU Creamery’s retail store on the second floor of the Food Sciences Building (enter building at 537 Wallace Rd.), during retail hours, for approximately $6.50 to $16.50 per piece (sold by weight).

Can’t make it to Ames for Homecoming?  The ISU Creamery is also pleased to be exclusively offering limited-edition ISU Cheddar cheeses through the annual Block & Bridle Summer Sausage and Cheese Fundraiser. In addition to the traditional cheese block packs, 100 special packages of ISU Creamery Cheddar and summer sausage will also be made available through the student organization for holiday-season gifts. To partake in the Block & Bridle fundraiser, follow this link.