Tag Archives: cheesesmith

Queso Diego Epic Cheesemaking Competition 2024

Queso Diego will be putting on the Epic Cheesemaking Competition, which will be judged at the September 17th meeting. This competition is open to all paid club members (and anyone who joins as a member prior to the competition). The Best of Show winner will have the unique opportunity to produce a full-scale production batch of their cheese at CheeseSmith, which will be sold to the public. Proceeds from the competition and sales of the winning cheese will go to the Anvil of Hope Foundation.

Full details are available here: Epic Cheese Competition 2024

Queso Diego May Meeting Announcement

Join us at our May Meeting on Tuesday, May 21 at 6:30pm at AleSmith (9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, Ca 92126)!  We will be meeting in the BARREL ROOM (please bring a lawn chair).

At this meeting, we have several features:

  • EPIC Cheese Competition!  (We will have an Epic Cheese Competition as part of our September Meeting.  Peter Zien and a panel will be judging, and the cheese deemed Best of Show will have the opportunity to make their cheese professionally with Peter at CheeseSmith!  We will cover details of this competition and answer questions you may have)
  • The History of Cheese (This main presentation by Marci will cover the evolution of cheese from its origins, which evolved more out of necessity, to modern-day cheeses we enjoy today, as more of a luxury.  Along the way, we will also do some taste testing ranging from fresh cheese to dessert cheese)
  • Cypress Grove Cheese Ambassador (Hear from Club Member Lisa, who is a Cypress Grove Cheese Ambassador!  And we will have a 3 pound Humboldt Fog cheese wheel to sample!  And there may be swag given out…)

 Logistics:

  • We’re meeting in the BARREL ROOM (walk in the main entrance, past the main bar and gift shop, which leads to the Barrel Room
  • Upon arrival, please check-in at the check-in table
  • Please set up your potluck item (and we have labels and label stands, grab a sharpie and label what you bought
  • BRING A LAWN CHAIR (anytime we meet in the Barrel Room, don’t forget your lawn chair).  Optionally bring a jacket
  • Members are encouraged to bring homemade cheese or potluck item or beverage.  If alcohol, only homemade alcohol is allowed (NO COMMERICAL ALCOHOL).  Better yet, enjoy some of the tasty AleSmith beverages!
  • Potluck/socializing beginning at 6:30pm, and the meeting at 7:00pm
  • Finally, Members, if you need anything from the Library of Cheesemaking, please email your request by May 17, for delivery at the meeting on March 21.  Be sure to check the list of offerings and send an email to QD-Library-Request@googlegroups.com.

Queso Diego May Meeting Announcement

I hope you’ve all recovered from last months Grilled Cheese event. This month we have a great presentation planned. Peter Zien, of CheeseSmith and AleSmith, will be here to talk to us about pasteurization. This is a critical process in Cheesemaking and many food endeavors, but few people know what it does and why it’s important. You don’t want to miss this meeting.

As always, our friendly potluck and social time will start at 6:30. Please consider bringing an item to share. The last few months have been wonderful. Don’t forget your chair and a coat.

Thank you to everyone who responded to the Valle Guadalupe trip. It’s sold out at 30 people. I’ll be sending a notice to those that signed up with the almost final details.
Be prepared to send me your deposit after I send the notice. We have a great trip planned. I’ll send all the details to you hopefully by Monday.

See you next Tuesday.

Queso Diego February Meeting Announcement

We will be having our first traditional Queso Diego Meeting of 2018 next Tuesday, February 20th. As always, it will be held at:

AleSmith Brewing Company
9990 Alesmith Court
San Diego, CA 92126.

The meeting starts at 6:30 PM with sharing of cheese (homemade or otherwise) and cheese friendly foods, homemade alcoholic beverages, and any other food or non-alcoholic beverage you would like to share. AleSmith beer is available for purchase (no other commercial alcoholic beverages can be served at the brewery).

The Cheese of the Month for February is Bloomy-Rind Cheese. If you have one you would like to share, we would like to try it. For that matter, any other kind of cheese is welcome.

At 7:00 PM we start the formal meeting with a summary of past and upcoming club events and meeting plans and we always provide a chance to talk about your homemade cheeses and to discuss cheesemaking and answer cheese-related questions.

This month’s presentation will be by Peter Zien, owner of AleSmith, a member of Queso Diego and soon to be a professional cheesemaker. Peter will tell us about his latest venture, CheeseSmith, a creamery that is nearing completion on the AleSmith premises. We are excited to hear the CheeseSmith story.

Please remember to bring a chair and wear something warm as we meet in the brewery, which can be chilly in the winter.

If you haven’t paid your 2018 dues, please be prepared to pay $20 for individuals or $30 for a family to our new Membership Officer, Olaf Walter.

We are looking forward to sharing cheese and the joy of cheesemaking with you, Tuesday, February 20th at 6:30 PM. Please join us.

Please RSVP for the meeting using the form found via this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7LqnSvtRwRkPk8hOhrBQ8S4-qElcyVyKwVT7kGyDa-7aXaw/viewform

Queso Diego November Meeting Announcement

Happy November Cheesers!

We have some exciting news for our November general meeting! This month we’ll feature 1st Place San Diego County Fair Cheese making Competition Winner, Peter Zien. Peter Zien is the owner of Medal-Winning SD Brewery AleSmith, and is moving towards running a local creamery aptly named CheeseSmith. His topic, “Beer-Washed Cheese and Belgian Ales”

Comes learn about beer washed cheeses. Peter will be bringing some very special beer-washed Cheeses and pairing them with Belgian Ales. He has mail-ordered some unique cheeses from Rodenbach, Chimay, and a German Creamery. Also, a new washed-rind cheese from Minnesota that is coated 3x with Surly Furious. He’ll be pairing these with some AleSmith and other Belgian-style brewery offerings.

Same bat time! Same bat channel! Date is set for Tuesday, November 18th, at City Farmer’s Nursery (http://www.cityfarmersnursery.com) from 6:30-8:30. Map of parking and the meeting location: https://quesodiego.org/?attachment_id=453

Nates Garden Grill (http://www.natesgardengrill.com/) on the grounds is now open, so please consider stopping by to grab a beer before or after the meeting. They have a great menu of fresh, local food, and an extensive draft beer list.

Members are always encouraged to bring cheeses and beverages to share (Homemade is always the best). If you want a theme, try to focus on Belgium.

Please bring your dues if not yet paid ($20 individual/$30 household). It is also possible to pay online through PayPal here: https://quesodiego.org/about/membership

Please RSVP using the following form as soon as possible so that we can get an accurate head count:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?usp=drive_web&formkey=dFFWSXdYRW9NRnZ3QUY0d2FvemczVnc6MA#gid=0