Alongside Switzerland, Wisconsin is one of the only places in the world that requires a license to make cheese – a testament to the state’s reverence for the cheesemaking process and dedication to quality.

While perhaps most famous for its bright orange cheddar cheeses, the state actually has one of the most diverse and sophisticated cheesemaking industries in the world. The state produces many approachable American-style cheeses like colby and brick, but also boasts a robust tradition of aged and European-style cheeses.

Below are some recommendations for cheeses that are all available at the West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe at their Public Market location.

Belaire from Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery

This Port-Salut inspired cheese is a mild, creamy and accessible introduction to French-style cheeses. 

Port-salut is a semi-soft cheese originally made by Trappist monks in France. The French variety typically has a bright orange schmear on the outside that harbors bacteria that gives it a sharp, funky flavor.

Brian Knox, president of Hoard’s Dairyman Farm, says they omit that step to better suit the American palette. Instead, they dip the cheese in annatto, the same natural dye that makes cheddar orange.

Belaire still has a slightly sharp, piquant flavor due to its age. Knox said the cheese is aged a minimum of two months, but never longer than two to three years when the cheese becomes too soft to cut. Most Belaire found on grocery store shelves has been aged for an average of six months.

Belaire is elegant yet versatile. It is perfectly suited to a cheeseboard, holding its own alongside complex, aged European cheeses. It also melts fantastically and makes a delicious — and quite fancy — grilled cheese. 

Hoard’s Dairy Farms create a myriad of other French-style cheeses, delivering classic European cheesemaking techniques right here in Wisconsin.

This cheese costs $19.99 per pound, or a typical wedge at just under half a pound for $8. 

Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Creamery

Boasting the title of “the most awarded cheese in American history,” this cheese is truly a marvel of Wisconsin’s cheesemaking industry. 

Pleasant Ridge Reserve is an alpine-style cheese similar to Gruyere and Beaufort cheeses. Like those cheeses, it is only made in the summer months from grass-fed milk from cows on Uplands’ dairy farms. It’s rich and salty, with a wonderfully sweet and grassy finish. 

This cheese is typically aged 10 to 14 months, but in the fall, they release their extra-aged version, which has matured for 15 months. This cheese becomes firmer and more complex in those extra months, taking on an intensely sharp flavor.

The extra-aged variety is delicious but best enjoyed in smaller quantities like Parmigiano Reggiano. Both the original and extra-aged are great ingredients to dust over pasta or thinly shred over a salad.

At West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe, it costs around $31.99 per pound, so a typical wedge will cost around $10.

Creama Kasa from Carr Valley Cheese

Another award winner, Creama Kasa, once again demonstrates the excellence of Wisconsin cheesemaking.

The cheese is made entirely with fresh grassfed milk from Carr Valley’s dairy cows, which lends it a sweeter flavor and buttery soft texture. It is easy to pick out at the cheese counter, with its characteristic blue wax rind and pale-yellow interior.

Creama Kasa is a triple cream cheese, which you often find as soft-ripened varieties like Brie or Delice, but this cheese is semi-soft and unaged, making it easier to appreciate the freshness of the milk and richness of its 75% butterfat content. 

This velvety soft cheese is another showstopper on a cheeseboard that doubles as an ingredient in other dishes. Melted down for a luxurious mac n’ cheese or stirred into polenta, Creama Kasa imbues any dish with its rich buttery flavor and ever-so-slight sharpness.

Creama Kasa costs $8 for a five-ounce wedge.

This story was written by Joseph Schamber. He can be reached at [email protected].