Best Irish Pasteurized Milk Cheese Types
Dubliner is an Irish cheese produced in County Cork. The cheese is made from cow's milk. Its texture is firm, smooth, and crystalline, while the flavors are nutty, sharp, and sweet. Dubliner has a natural rind, and today it is available in a wide variety of flavors.
The cheese was originally invented by John Lucey, who still keeps the secret recipe. It is recommended to serve the Dubliner with Cabernet or a pint of Guinness beer. Alternatively, it can be melted between slices of crusty brown bread.
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Milleens is an Irish farmhouse cheese made from the milk of Friesian cows grazing the Beara peninsula pastures of South West Ireland. This soft washed rind cheese has pungent and earthy aromas, while the flavors are mushroomy, floral, sweet, and herbaceous.
Milleens was originally invented in 1976 by Veronica and Norman Steele. Nowadays, the cheese is produced in 1kg (called Milleens O) and 200g versions (called Milleens Dote). The Dote cheeses are softer and have more fragrance than the O cheeses.
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Gubbeen is an Irish semi-soft cheese made from cow's milk. Underneath its washed rind, the cheese has a creamy and open texture. The flavors are nutty, milky, and buttery, with hints of grass and mushrooms. When young, Gubbeen has notes of flowers and hazelnut, and when mature, it develops notes of mushrooms and forest floor.
It is recommended to pair it with beer and aromatic white wines.
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Cashel Blue is an Irish cheese produced in County Tipperary. This blue cheese is made from local cow's milk. The producers, Jane and Louis Grubb, have been making this cheese since 1984. The young versions have a chalky and milky aromas and flavors, while the older cheeses are buttery and rich.
The ones that have been aged for more than 18 weeks have a robust flavor and granular texture. It's recommended to pair the young versions with Gewurztraminer, the medium-aged ones with Sauternes, and the aged versions with Port. You can also crumble Cashel Blue over salads or serve it with grapes, pears, and walnuts.
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Dunbarra is a traditional cheese hailing from County Tipperary, where it's produced by Cooleney Farm. This brie-style cheese is made from pasteurized cow's milk and it's fully mature at 8 to 10 weeks. Underneath its white moldy rind, the texture is semi-soft, creamy, and buttery.
The flavors vary because the cheese comes in 3 versions: plain, garlic and dill, and pepper and poppy seeds. It's recommended to pair Dunbarra with sparkling wines and Beaujolais.
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Lavistown is an Irish caerphilly-style cheese hailing from Stoneyford. The cheese is made from pasteurized cow's milk and it's left to mature from 2 to 8 months. Underneath its natural brushed rind, the texture is semi-hard, dry, firm, and crumbly.
Produced in the shape of millstones, Lavistown is one of the oldest Irish farmhouse cheeses. The flavors are milky, creamy, acidic, tangy, and herbaceous.
St Tola Log is an Irish cheese hailing from Inagh in County Clare, where it's produced by Inagh Farmhouse Cheese Ltd. The cheese is made from pasteurized or raw goat's milk and it's named after the local patron saint. The logs come in two versions – mature and fresh.
The mature version has a smooth, soft, and creamy texture, while the flavors are sweet and floral with honey undertones, deepening as the cheese ages. The fresh version is younger and less complex than the mature version, with lighter structure and fresher, cleaner flavors.
Ardrahan is an Irish cheese originating from Kanturk, where it has been produced by the Burns family since the early 1980s. The cheese is made with pasteurized cow's milk coming from Friesian cows. It has a brine-washed rind that hides a smooth and chalky texture of the body underneath it, with pungent and earthy aromas, and nutty, acidic, meaty, smoky, and buttery flavors.
After the brining process, Ardrahan is left to mature for about 4 weeks. It is recommended to pair the cheese with a glass of robust red wine.
Blarney Castle is an Irish cheese produced in the city of Blarney, near Cork, hence the name. The cheese is made with the milk of grass-fed cows. It is golden yellow in color and its texture is semi-soft and creamy, while the flavors are mild and tangy.
Many compare it with young Gouda, so it is recommended to pair Blarney Castle cheese with fresh fruit and a glass of crisp wine on the side, such as Sauvignon Blanc.
St. Killian is a traditional cheese hailing from Adamstown in County Wexford. This camembert-style cheese is hexagonally shaped and it's made from pasteurized cow's milk. It's also one of the oldest Irish cheeses. Underneath its bloomy rind, the texture is creamy and soft.
The aromas and flavors are reminiscent of button mushrooms and salted caramel. When young, St. Killian is mild, but as it matures, the cheese develops aromatic and clean flavors. It's recommended to serve St. Killian on a cheese board.
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