WISCONSIN CHEESE

AT WEST ALLIS CHEESE
& SAUSAGE SHOPPE

Your top choice for Wisconsin cheese is West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe, Milwaukee�s finest and oldest cheese lover�s destination. Our shop has maintained old world service making our store a family shopping tradition for over 30 years, selling only the finest selections of award winning Wisconsin cheeses, manufactured by the best cheese artisans the dairy state offers.

We carry over 150 varieties of Wisconsin cheese, including cheddar, colby, monterey jack, swiss, and string cheese.  Many of these are award winning. In addition to our Wisconsin cheese and our imported cheese, we also carry a complete offering of hand made sausages, brats, and Bavarian style meats made from traditional recipes. To complete our product offering we have a wide selection of Wisconsin Made Gourmet foods, jams, jellies, honey, spreads, etc. which will complement and pair nicely with any cheese purchase or gift basket to satisfy your every taste.

Customer loyalty is our goal�
By combining our years of expertise, selling the finest award winning Wisconsin Cheese and specialty foods helps create our recipe for success.

Our Services�
We offer both in store and on-line shopping, so please visit us for a �cheese� slice of life:

• Over 150 Wisconsin Cheeses
• Award winning cheeses
• Wisconsin aged cheddar cheese a real crowd pleaser
• Colby cheese, monterey jack cheese, and swiss cheese
• Artisanal and Imported cheese
• Bavarian sausages, brats, and beef sticks
• Merkt�s cheese spreads
• Cheese curds, string cheese
• Wisconsin specialty foods
• Gift boxes, cheese baskets, and holiday gifts
• Cheese of the month
• Shipping anywhere in the 50 states
• Corporate gift baskets (boxes)

Wisconsin Cheese Gifts are our specialty�
Please don�t forget about us when trying to think of the perfect gift for your employees or your customers.  We will custom design an exceptional gift that not only showcases your appreciation but also meets your budgetary guidelines.

We look forward to meeting you�
We would like to make your Wisconsin cheese tasting experience a memorable one. Come on in for a visit� hope to see you soon.  In the meantime, please enjoy the interesting history of cheese making below.
 

History of Wisconsin Cheese making

Over 160 years ago the making of Wisconsin Cheese began. The climate, water, and farm pastures were similar to Europe�s cheese making regions, which is what attracted European cheese makers to Wisconsin, giving us the great cheese we enjoy today.

Wisconsin cheese started with the glaciers that left rolling lush pastures that are ideal for producing top quality milk needed for making Cheese. In 1841, Anne Pickett established Wisconsin�s first cheese factory. Seventeen years later John J. Smith purchased the first cheese vat and started producing Wisconsin cheese. He also marketed Wisconsin cheese outside of the state.

In 1886 the University Of Wisconsin College Of Agriculture started giving short courses in making cheese to farmers throughout the region. In 1890 Stephan Babcock from the University of Wisconsin invented a milk fat test to aid farmers in selecting the best cows for production of cheese. In 1921 Wisconsin became the first state to institute grading the quality of cheese. To this date, Wisconsin still has the most stringent cheese grading quality standards which makes Wisconsin Cheese the best in the country.

By 1922, there were over 2,800 cheese factories throughout the state. They were making great Wisconsin Cheese. Foreign cheese makers continued to settle in Wisconsin enriching the talent pool.

The Swiss contributed to our great cheese making with the Wisconsin Swiss and creamy Wisconsin Baby Swiss. The Italians brought us great Pasta Filata Cheese, the English developed our great Wisconsin cheddars, and the Dutch brought us Gouda and Edam. The Germans also brought over their secrets in making great cheese with cheeses such as Muenster and Limburger cheese. To date Wisconsin has the only North American Limburger cheese factory. In addition, Wisconsin Cheese makers created their own classics. Brick cheese became one of Wisconsin's originals; the name was derived because a brick was used to press the cheese into the form. Colby was developed in 1874, another Wisconsin original.

By 1945 there were 1500 factories producing over 500 million pounds of Wisconsin cheese. At present, Wisconsin dairy has approximately 1.3 million cows that produce an average of 17,000 pounds of milk for every cow per year, of which Wisconsin cheese makers use more than 85% of the milk to produce cheese. Wisconsin has more licensed cheese makers than any other state and they must undertake studies in dairy and serve as an apprentice before they become a Wisconsin cheese maker. Today these cheese makers produce over 2.2 billion pounds of Wisconsin Cheese each year.

1. Milk is weighed and tested and the fat content is adjusted depending on what type of cheese is being produced. (approx. 10 lbs of milk makes 1 lb of cheese)
    
2. The milk is pasteurized for 15 seconds at 161 degrees fahrenheit; however some Wisconsin cheese is heated at a lower value. Wisconsin cheese can also be made from raw milk without pasteurization.
    
3. Starter cultures and enzymes are added to curdle the milk and develop the desired flavor of the Wisconsin cheese that is being made. The cultures acidify the milk preparing it for the addition of rennet and breakdown the protein for flavor.
    
4. Rennet is added to form a gel like consistency.
    
5. The gel mass is cut into small pieces to start separating the curds from the whey. Curds are sized depending on what type of Wisconsin cheese is being made. Large curds are cooked at low temperature to produce soft cheese; small curds are cooked at high temperatures to produce hard cheese.
    
6. Curds are cooked and stirred until desired qualities are achieved for the particular cheese that is being produced. Higher temperatures and longer cooking provide greater protein bonding as well as yielding harder cheese.
    
7. Whey is separated from the curds and the whey is used for other products.
    
8. The cheese curds are salted and manipulated appropriately for the type of Wisconsin cheese that is being made.
    
9. Cheese curds are pressed to release additional whey for the particular type of cheese. Wisconsin cheese curds are also eaten as a snack. A fresh cheese curd is squeaky and fun to eat.
    
10. Finally, the Wisconsin cheese is cured in temperature controlled caves with rooms where good bacteria and mold continue to develop the desired type of cheese. A Wisconsin cheese is cured for a minimum of 60 days to eliminate any harmful bacteria.

Category is a family of cheeses that are similar. Varieties and types represent individual Wisconsin cheeses within a family, and styles refer to a specific shape and size of the Wisconsin cheese.

To date Wisconsin cheese makers produce over 350 types/varieties/styles of Cheese. Many are award winning cheese. Wisconsin adapted Federal standards for measuring moisture and milk fat to insure Wisconsin cheese maintains high quality standards. Only Wisconsin cheese makers, licensed by the state, can oversee cheese production to insure the finest quality of cheese is produced. Wisconsin has the first and only master cheese maker program in the nation, and the first outside of Europe. Wisconsin became the first state to establish cheese grading standards where flavor, texture, color, and appearance are graded. The Wisconsin state brand denotes that a cheese is of high quality.

Wisconsin Cheese is dominant in the United States and wins most of the American cheese tasting awards as well as several international awards. While many other states produce cheese, none have the quality, flavor, and variety of Wisconsin cheese. Wisconsin produces over 80% of the blue cheese consumed in the country and other specialty cheeses in the United States.