- Date: January 4-7, 2024
Epicurean Retreat: Farmstead Creamery
Farmstead – defined by The American Cheese Society as dairy products using 100% milk from the farm’s own animals.
Immerse yourself in a hands-on, educational cheesemaking experience during this all-inclusive, two-day, three-night epicurean retreat. Elite experts of Medicine Bow Creamery at The Farm at Brush Creek will lead you through a robust itinerary learning the step-by-step process of cheesemaking. Explore the inner workings of Wyoming’s only Grade-A Goat Dairy – from the breading and raising of our goat herd, to the farmstead creamery process of using only our herd-sourced milk to craft our award-winning cheeses. Discover how to age cheese gracefully, set up your own process at home, and round out your retreat with plenty of perfectly paired cheese and wine tastings.
To reserve online, click ‘Book Now’ and ‘Check Availability.’ Next to the room of your choice, click ‘View Offers’ and select the Farmstead Creamery Retreat to redeem.
ALL-INCLUSIVE RETREAT ITINERARY
Thursday Arrival:
- Welcome Reception at Medicine Bow Creamery to meet and greet with the cheesemakers, as well as our herd of Alpine, Nubian, and Nigerian Dwarf cross goats.
- Tour The Farm’s 94-yard wine tunnel holding one of the top 10 largest wine collections in the world, followed by dinner at the fine-dining restaurant, Cheyenne Club.
Friday Morning:
- Begin your day enjoying freshly roasted coffee and goat milk lattes as we discuss how to make cheese at home!
- Discover types of milk and the cheese tree, including acid set, lactic set, and rennet set cheese.
- Review food safety procedures, then roll up your sleeves to make ricotta and begin the process for fresh cheeses you can make to wow your friends and family.
- Learn about the types of cultures, their characteristics, and how to use them.
Friday Afternoon:
- Enjoy gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, elevated with a tasting of your fresh ricotta cheese and honey.
- Begin a new cheesemaking journey, starting the milk for rennet cheeses. Learn what rennet is and why it’s crucial in cheesemaking.
- Discuss why cheeses stretch or melt before going through a process of cheese curd cutting, draining, and pressing.
- Learn about the importance of salt and the difference between brining and dry salting.
Saturday Morning:
- Arrive at The Farm and caffeinate with fresh goat milk lattes for another full day of hands-on cheesemaking education.
- Continue the processing of your cheeses from the previous day by checking the pH for quality control and monitoring the acid development.
- Discover the world of hard cheeses and create your own! Learn how small changes to technique can create so much variety.
Saturday Afternoon:
- Indulge in a delicious fresh-off-the-vine Greenhouse salad for lunch topped with cheeses you made!
- Discuss affinage: the art of aging cheese gracefully to achieve the perfect taste and desired texture.
- Review different rinds and learn how to set up an at-home aging cave.
- For the finale, complete your afternoon tasting through a variety of different cheese and wine pairings with a sensory evaluation of each cheese.
Saturday Evening:
- Celebrate your epicurean journey with a final farm-to-table dinner at the Cheyenne Club with paired wine and spirits.
Sunday Departure:
- Enjoy a cozy breakfast by the grand fireplace and panoramic ranch views from the main lodge before departing.
