Lively Run Dairy’s Finger Lakes Gold Reserve Wins National Award in the 2019 American Cheese Society Contest
Lively Run Dairy’s Finger Lakes Gold Reserve aged goat cheese wins first place in its class of “Goat's Milk Cheese Aged Over 60 Days” and was a best-of-show finalist, ranking it in the top 15 out of 1,742 products submitted in the 2019 American Cheese Society (ACS) Cheese Contest.
The annual American Cheese Society Contest is one of the most prestigious cheese competitions in the USA. This year, the ACS conference took place in Richmond, Virginia and 257 companies from all over North and South America entered different products across a broad spectrum of categories. ACS judges are chosen every year for their deep knowledge of high quality cheese.
Lively Run Dairy is a family owned and operated creamery located in the Finger Lakes Region of NY that makes award-winning cheeses. The entire team at Lively Run has worked hard to create a successful business that brings delicious, one-of-a-kind cheese varieties made with locally sourced, natural ingredients to the Finger Lakes and beyond. Their Cayuga Blue was also awarded first place in its class at the 2017 American Cheese Society Contest.
The Finger Lakes Gold Reserve is a hard goat cheese that is aged for 10+ months with a slightly crumbly texture. It is perfect for snacking right off the wheel or grating over pasta. An off-dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes pairs nicely with the nutty and caramel flavors of the cheese. The Finger Lakes Gold Reserve is named after its beautiful yellow-golden rind.
Lively Run Dairy also makes a version of the Finger Lakes Gold that is sold when it is 3-4 months old that has a mellower flavor.
Lively Run Dairy’s Head Cheese Maker, Pete Messmer, developed the recipe for the Finger Lakes Gold Reserve over a 5-year time period. Inspired by the Finger Lakes Wine Region’s innovative culture, Messmer wanted to create a cheese that was uniquely American. When developing the recipe for the Finger Lakes Gold Reserve, he combined elements of a few traditional old-world cheese-making techniques and added a unique culture blend.
“We are really proud that the Finger Lakes Gold Reserve got picked as one of the best-of-show contenders, particularly because it is a cheese that tells the story of the amazing food culture of the Finger Lakes Region. We are excited to bring the medal back home to the Finger Lakes,” said Messmer.
A limited supply of the Finger Lakes Gold Reserve will be sold in the Lively Run farm store starting Labor Day weekend. It will be featured on the menu of a few restaurants in the Finger Lakes Region, and in the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.
About Lively Run Dairy
The Messmer family, including Steve, Susanne, Pete, and Dave, and their business partner, Katie Shaw, are the owners of Lively Run Dairy. Since 1982, Lively Run Dairy has crafted delectable artisan cheese inspired by the historic Finger Lakes food culture in a way that honors people, animals, and the land. They aim to empower their employees, customers, partners, and the greater community to live healthier, happier lives.
For more information, visit www.livelyrun.com.
About the American Cheese Society:
ACS was founded in 1982 by Cornell Professor Dr. Frank Kosikowski. With over 1,700 members across all parts of the cheese industry, from farms, cheese makers, retailers and distributors, the American Cheese Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and support of high-quality American cheeses. The annual ACS convention and cheese competition is held in a different city every year, allowing cheese lovers of all stripes to network and celebrate great American cheeses.
