Alemar Bent River Alemar Camembert-style Cheese

Bent River is Alemar Cheese Company's flagship cheese, made in the style of Camembert. This bloomy, round cheese is the winner of two American Cheese Society honors and a Good Food Award.

Named after the sharp turn of the Minnesota just a few hundred yards from Alemar's original production site in Mankato, it is released at roughly five weeks.  Over the next seven weeks or so, the cheese will ripen to full maturity.  During that time, the texture and flavor profile will change, but at all stages you’ll have a Camembert that will rival the best around.

Initially, there will be a layered “button” of unripened cheese in the center. As the cheese ages, the button will ripen and you’ll have a smooth paste throughout. The ideal time to eat depends on your preference: as the weeks go by, the flavor profile will change with a mushroom-like aroma and taste leading the way. A slight press of your thumb in the top-center of the cheese will tell you a lot: at full ripeness, the indent will not recover.

The cheese is stored in a special paper that allows it to breathe. Please avoid plastic wrap! Store opened cheese in its original paper. Cheese is best consumed within a week of opening. Most importantly, unwrap the cheese and allow it to come to room temperature; at least a half-hour during warm months, an hour in the colder ones.

Tasting notes (at full ripeness): Butter, Mushrooms, Herbs, Grass, Citrus Peel, Barnyard (funk), and Broth, with a slightly bitter and earthy rind.