Beecher's honored at American Cheese Society in Montreal

You may or may not recall that last year, Seattle was home to the American Cheese Society’s (ACS) Conference yearly conference, blessing us with three blissful, cheese-filled days of incredible community, a marathon of educational opportunities and a chance to eat some of the finest dairy products on the planet.

This year Seattle wasn’t fortunate enough to host the gathering and afford us the opportunity to buy cheeses we’d only ever read about (it took place in Montreal, which is a little out of our jurisdiction), but we can still take pride in knowing that Seattle and Pacific Northwest cheeses received the nods and awards they so justly deserve.

The culmination of the ACS Conference is an Oscar-style ceremony that shares the judging results of nearly 1,700 cheeses from all parts of North America--and they don't shy away from the remote areas. My birth state of Indiana even snagged a few awards.

This year, for the second time, a Seattlest favorite, Rogue River Blue from Rogue Creamery in Central Point, OR was named Best of Show. Mariposa Dairy’s Lindsay Bandaged Goat Cheddar and Carr Valley’s Cave Aged Marisa tied for 2nd Place, while Québec’s own Fromagerie Du Presbytère took 3rd place for its Louis d’Or.

Seattle’s local boy Kurt Beecher took home a suite of ribbons, including a 1st place in the flavored cheddar category for his Marco Polo Reserve, a 2nd place for the four year Flagship in the mature cheddar category, and 3rd place for his Smoked Flagship and cloth-wrapped Flagship Reserve. Other area favorites who took honors include red ribbons for Mt.Townsend Creamery’s Campfire and Samish Bay’s Queso Jalapeno.

Our neighbors to the south (Oregon) represented well with Rivers Edge earning 2nd place for their Up in Smoke Goat while Tumalo Farms snagged a lst and 2nd place for their Classico and Rimrocker made of goat and sheep respectively. Rogue River grabbed two additional 3rd place awards for their Chocolate Stout Cheddar and rindless Echo Mountain Blue. And once again Tillamook received a first place for their omnipresent Colby as well as nods for their Monterey Jack and Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar.

The next American Cheese Society Conference Judging & Competition will take place in Raleigh, North Carolina. But if you can’t make the trip don’t fret, remember we’ve got plenty of award winning creamy goodness right in our own region.

Want to learn more about these cheeses? Many of the area cheese makers are open to visitors or ask about them at your local cheese shop. Some of our favorites cheese haunts include Beechers, Calf & Kid, The Cheese Cellar, the Quality Cheese counter in Pike Place or pay a visit to the mongers at area Metropolitan Markets.