CHAPTER XVII. 
BRICK CHEESE. 
308. Characteristics of Brick Cheese. 
Brick cheese is probably so called because it is made in 
the form of a brick, and bricks are used for pressing the cheese 
in the mold. Brick cheese has a milder flavor than Cheddar; 
it is moist and suits a large number of people who are especially 
fond of mild cheese. It can be cut into thin slices which do 
not crumble and this brings it into favor. 
It generally contains small holes, but does not have the 
large eyes of Swiss cheese. It is softer than Swiss, but not so 
soft as Limburger. The real difference between brick and Lim- 
burger is that the former contains less moisture and is cured 
in a drier atmosphere than the latter; these conditions of mois- 
ture inside and outside the cheese influence the character of the 
fermentations in it. 
309. Quality of Milk Required. 
For brick cheese, the milk should not be as ripe as milk 
for Cheddar, and on the other hand it should not be so sweet 
that the rennet will not expel the whey properly, for it will 
then have a tendency toward Limburger in the softness of the 
texture and the gas germs may get more of an ascendency in 
the cheese than when the milk is ripened further before setting. 
If the milk is ripe enough so that the curd will string on the 
hot-iron before it can be gotten out of the whey, a Cheddar 
flavor will develop. One of the finest- Cheddar flavors that the 
author has ever observed, was in a brick cheese in which one 
eighth of an inch of acid was developed on the curd at the 
time of dipping. 
310. Milk, When Received. 
It is evident that milk may be received but once a day if it 
is properly cared for, in fact it will be less liable to develop 
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