OG Ghoast is an artisanal aged Gouda from Belgium, made with goat's milk and enriched with fresh cow's cream before it heads into the aging room for about 24 months. That cream addition is the whole trick here, it gives the paste a richer, rounder texture than a straight goat's milk Gouda would carry on its own. The paste is firm and dense, breaking into clean flaky shards under the knife with the occasional crunch of crystal from the long age. On the palate it leads with sweet caramel and butterscotch, then pulls into a savory finish that lingers well past the swallow. The goat's milk gives it a quiet tang underneath the sweetness that keeps the cheese from ever feeling one-note. This sits right in the sweet spot for aged Gouda lovers who want something a little different from the usual cow's milk version. Shave it over a salad, work it into a cheese course, or just eat it in slabs off the board.
