The Castello Alps Selection Bergkase is produced with raw milk from cows grazing in the Alps at minimum ½ mile above sea level and is smeared with mountain herbs and spices during ripening. The cheese matures for a minimum of 2 months at 55°F and 1 month at 43°F at about 98% humidity in order to get the very special flavor and consistency right.
Castello Alps Selection Bergkase was developed from the Allgauer Bergkase, a traditional cheeses from the mountainous regions of southern Germany. Allgauer Bergkase has Protected Geographical Origin status in the European Union and can only be made according to the traditional methods using raw milk. The origin of Bergkase was in the middle of the nineteenth century, when Swiss farmers brought their cheese-making techniques across the Alps into Germany. 
The Castello Alps Selection Bergkase is smeared with mountain herbs and spices during ripening, has a firm consistency, dry with a distinct taste and hints of hay & meadow. Serve the Castello Alps Selection Bergkase with full-bodied red wine, like a Rioja. If beer is preferred, it goes very well with Brown Ale. This cheese is perfect for a cheese board or with freshly baked quality bread.
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This article is part of Castello Moments, a collaboration between Honest Cooking and Arla Foods USA.
