MOUNTAIN CHEESE mild taste | 4 months | Austria Lactose-free cheese

from:  7,69

22 reviews
Result Cheese WM 2024 USA

Our lactose-free mild mountain cheese from Hay Milk® has matured for 4 months in an optimal, controlled environment in the cheese cellar.

Traditionally handcrafted and carefully aged by hand, the mild mountain cheese impresses with its unique mild aroma. Mildly aromatic in scent, slightly tangy in taste.

Base price: € 25,63/kg

Fresh shipping | every tuesday

No artificial colors/flavors

No fillers

Gluten free

MOUNTAIN CHEESE mild, 4 months | Lactose-free PREMIUM hard cheese made from Hay Milk | Cheese with 45% FDM, fresh from the cheese wheel, from the cheese cellar, sliced | Wonderfully mild and aromatic taste guaranteed

The mild mountain cheese (in German called “Bergkäse”) made from hay milk (highly digestible as it is lactose-free) is a premium hard cheese product from our Rehmen Dairy in Au and represents a unique mountain cheese specialty. Made from top-quality hay milk, this cheese comes from cows that are fed exclusively with fresh grass and hay.

This traditional feeding gives the cheese an incomparably natural flavor and highlights the outstanding quality for which the region is known.

After a careful aging period of four months, the mild mountain cheese develops a mildly spicy aroma with a typical, slight “tingling” on the tongue, refined by 100% hand care in the natural cellar. This artisanal attention ensures that the mountain cheese maintains its distinctive texture and unique flavor.

A special feature of this cheese wheel is the care of its rind. It is gently massaged and treated with sodium chloride- and iodine-free salt and pure, right-handed spring water. This careful rind treatment contributes to the development of its intense aroma and ensures an excellent quality end product.

Rawmilk listing hand made cheese factsbox
Seal Rehmer Sennhus dairy
Lactose free icon

Lactose-free Mountain Cheese: The natural milk sugar in our hay milk cheese is broken down by lactic acid bacteria. Result: Lactic acid plus exceptionally amazing flavor and aroma development.

The mountain cheese is also lactose-free, making it accessible to people with lactose intolerance without compromising on taste.

With this mild mountain cheese made from hay milk, you hold in your hands a product that combines traditional cheese-making with the highest quality standards. Enjoy the authentic aroma and meticulous craftsmanship in every wheel.

  • The aging period of 4 months produces a pleasantly mild cheese aroma in the hard cheese.
  • Mountain cheese is a staple in typical Vorarlberg cheese specialties from the local gourmet cuisine.
MOUNTAIN CHEESE - ALPINE CHEESE - mild | Aged 4 months | Austrian Lactose-free DELUXE hay-milk hard cheese, straight from the cheese cellar | Mildly aromatic cheese with a flavor guarantee

Cheesemaker Christof Schneider takes particular pride in creating new taste experiences.

Senn Christof achieves the special aromas and exquisite flavor through a few key cheese-making secrets, including:

  • Aging on wooden boards or in a natural cellar without artificial climate control
  • Traditional hand ladling with cheesecloth
  • Hand care without chemical additives
  • Use of unpumped hay milk
  • Natural rennet
  • Iodine-free salt
  • Spring water from the Ilga spring

Vorarlberg Mountain Cheese – Historical Background of Hard Cheese

Mountain cheese has been produced and aged in Vorarlberg on alpine and valley dairies since the beginning of the last century.

The production method of “fat cheese” (as opposed to low-fat cheese like Montafon’s Sura Käs) originated in Switzerland and quickly spread throughout the Bregenzerwald.

The traditional Vorarlberg hard cheese is made from natural (non-thermized, non-pasteurized or non-centrifugally skimmed hay milk) with at least 45% FDM.

The distinctive characteristics of Bregenzerwald mountain cheese are significantly influenced by the alpine milk used in its production, with unique components, flavors, textures, and the influence of the Vorarlberg alpine flora.

Thanks to the small-scale farms that supply the raw materials and the traditional alpine dairy practices, the artisanal production and traditional care of the cheese have been preserved to this day.

This results in the special quality and long shelf life of the flavorful Vorarlberg mountain cheese.

You can find more fascinating details about mountain cheese at Wikipedia or about the rare “Vorarlberg Alp Cheese PDO” in our Cheese Wiki.

MOUNTAIN CHEESE WHEEL - ALPINE CHEESE - mild | Aged 4 months | Austrian Lactose-free DELUXE hay-milk hard cheese, straight from the cheese cellar | Mildly aromatic cheese with a flavor guarantee
MOUNTAIN CHEESE - ALPINE CHEESE - mild | Aged 4 months | Austrian Lactose-free DELUXE hay-milk hard cheese, straight from the cheese cellar | Mildly aromatic cheese with a flavor guarantee

Mild Mountain Cheese – The Cheese Holes

The special mountain cheese from the Rehmen Dairy has only a few small holes.

MOUNTAIN CHEESE - ALPINE CHEESE - mild | Aged 4 months | Austrian Lactose-free DELUXE hay-milk hard cheese, straight from the cheese cellar | Mildly aromatic cheese with a flavor guarantee

The Mild Mountain Cheese Rind

The mild mountain cheese has a brown-yellow rind. The cheese is evenly covered with a brownish rind, with an inner color of white to creamy yellow and occasional holes. Its aroma is very aromatic, with a distinctly spicy taste.

MOUNTAIN CHEESE - ALPINE CHEESE - mild | Aged 4 months | Austrian Lactose-free DELUXE hay-milk hard cheese, straight from the cheese cellar | Mildly aromatic cheese with a flavor guarantee

Storage and Aging of Mountain Cheese

With 4 months of aging in the cheese cellar, each wheel achieves its unique, mild aromatic flavor.

The mountain cheese wheels are cared for and turned by hand twice a week.

Mild Mountain Cheese – Results and Quality Features

  • The round, pea-sized, generally sparse holes are matte to shiny and evenly distributed.
  • Due to the long aging period, the cheese paste is less pliable (shorter), firmer, and slightly crumbly.

Our Mountain Cheese Gourmet Tip

Serve our mild mountain cheese with gentian bacon, fresh onions, spicy mustard, and delicious farmhouse bread.

We recommend a grassy Sauvignon Blanc white wine to accompany it.

Palate Magic

The unique quality of mild Alpine Cheese is its wonderfully mild, pleasant cheese flavor with an impressive finish.

Alpine Cheese Intensity

How flavorful is the cheese? We rate it on a scale from 0 (mild) to 10 (spicy).

5/10

Alpine Cheese Texture

How firm is the cheese? We rate it on a scale from 0 (soft) to 10 (firm).

7/10

Alpine Cheese Aging Time

How long has the cheese aged? We define the aging period between 1 to 12 months.

4/12

Additional Details on Mild Alpine Cheese from Hay Milk, Aged 4 Months

Characteristics of Mild Alpine Cheese
Milk: 100% from silage-free hay milk, hand-scooped
Cheese Type: Lactose-Free Hard Cheese (HC)
Aging Method: Lactic acid and/or fermentation aging in the natural cellar
Cheese Flavor Profile: Mild to slightly spicy
Aging Duration: 4 months
F.i.T.: minimum 45-52%
Absolute Fat: about 33%
Allergens: No additional allergenic potential aside from milk components
Lactose: not contained
Rennet: Natural animal rennet
Salt: Iodine-free table salt
What Makes Alpine Cheese (Bergkäse) Unique – The Cheese Character? With production in around 25 dairies and over 100 Alps in Vorarlberg, each Bergkäse has its own unique character influenced by the cheesemaker, season, feed, outdoor temperature, etc., reflecting the nature of a natural product.
What Does Bergkäse Taste Like? Flavor mild to slightly spicy, with a pleasant lactic acid aroma
How Is Its Texture? The paste is firm yet smooth
What Color Is Bergkäse? Inside ivory to cream-yellow, sunny yellow in summer.
The cheese has a washed, slightly dried brown-yellow rind.
How Does the Cheese Smell? A mild aromatic scent, slightly tangy.
What Is the Hole Pattern Like? The holes, about pea-sized, round, usually sparse, are matte to shiny and evenly distributed.
How to Best Enjoy Bergkäse – Cheese Enjoyment
  • Take it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before eating to bring it to room temperature
  • It’s best not to buy in large pieces, as storage in the fridge only maintains its flavor to a limited extent
  • Hard cheese tastes best straight from the cheese cellar, fresh from the piece.
How to Recognize Suboptimal Aging – Lower Quality?
  • Dried-out surface – “thick” rind = a darker, harder zone forms directly on the rind
  • Bergkäse with an almost white surface was stored too cold in the cellar, preventing adequate brine formation. This often results in a less pleasant flavor as bacteria cannot contribute optimally to the cheese’s flavor.

If you wish to store large pieces or a whole Alpine Cheese wheel for more than 2-3 weeks, we recommend using a dish towel.

Take a clean dish towel, soak it in saltwater (just add a little salt), wring it out, and wrap the cheese in the damp cloth.

This process should ideally be repeated every 2-3 days.

If the cheese develops a light white coating or spots, this is typically salt or protein crystallizing due to temperature differences.

Simply rub these spots off.

Using aluminum foil is possible (although we advise against it) if supplemented with many small holes for air supply.

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