In part 1 of my Wisconsin Cheese Tour, we visited Chalet Cheese Co-Op. Afterward, we drove to Mineral Point, Wisconsin to visit Hook’s Cheese.

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Hook’s makes dozens of varieties of cheese, but they are famous for their Blue cheese and Aged-Cheddar. In fact, they have a 15-year Aged Cheddar…and it sells for $50/pound! I remember this making news a few years ago. When you have a cheese that’s this rich, it’s recommended you eat it plain (not on a cheeseburger).

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Meet Tony Hook. He’s been baking cheese since 1970. His wife, Julie, is also a cheesemaker. In fact, she’s the only woman in the world to win the World Championship, which was in 1982 for their entry of Colby cheese.

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Although Hook’s was smaller than Chalet, they used their space well and had a lot going on. They had these cool “cheese caves” where the cheese ages. On the top right, that’s Blue cheese aging. It looks like it’s going to be yellow, but when you cut into it, it’s actually white inside. (Note the Bloomin’ Idiot on the bottom right-lol!)

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Hook’s had a whole spread for us bloggers to try their fabulous cheeses. Every cheese I tried was bursting with flavor. The Blue cheeses were rich and creamy, the Aged-Cheddars all tasted unique in their own way (depending on which year you tried).

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They let us taste up to the 12-year Aged Cheddar. A little acidic and quite creamy, it packed a punch. I loved this cheese. Although it’s a little pricey ($23.95/pound), the flavor makes it worth it.

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Here are the packages of 15-year Aged Cheddar in their cooler. I asked the woman working if that was her favorite, and she actually recommended the 12-year Aged White Cheddar.

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Thanks again to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board for sponsoring our trip!

Stay tuned for more cheese posts!

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