In 2019, Caputo Brothers Creamery, Tröegs Independent Brewing and GIANT Foods released Troegenator Beer Cheese, a beer-washed Gouda-style cheese made with PA dairy (with which we made this epic fondue). Now, this trio is back with a second exciting collaboration, again in the form of cheesy goodness: Perpetual Hopped Cheese.
Pennsylvania family dairy farms had already been facing hardships over the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made many of those problems even more dire. Dairy farming supports 52,000 jobs and generates $14.7 billion a year in the Commonwealth. But according to the United States Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania lost 370 dairy farms in 2018. With important wholesale avenues, like schools and restaurants closed during the months-long statewide lockdown, numerous farmers have been forced to dump excess milk. These losses can be hard to sustain for farmers.
“In a time when a lot of us are feeling helpless, we asked ourselves what we can do to make a difference,” says Rynn Caputo, president of Caputo Brothers Creamery. “This partnership with GIANT and Tröegs has already helped keep two dairy farms running, and as it grows, we have the potential to save even more farms. This is our opportunity to make a small, but important, difference in the world, to keep more Pennsylvania farms sustainably operating. If enough people focus on one thing they can do to make this situation better, we can come back even stronger.”
The Perpetual Beer Cheese is sweet and creamy, with notes of citrus from the addition of Citra hops. Citra are the hops used in Tröegs Perpetual IPA, which is the best-selling IPA in the state. At Caputo Bros.’ York County-based creamery, cheesemakers allow the milk to gently steep with whole-flower hops before being pressed into cheese forms and bathed in saltwater brine. While aging in Caputo’s cave, the wheels of cheese are misted each day with Perpetual IPA to amplify the aromas and the color.
Perpetual Beer Cheese is now available at all 186 GIANT, Martin’s and GIANT Heirloom Market locations, as well as through the company’s online market, GIANT Direct and MARTIN’S Direct. You can also find it at the Caputo Brothers Retail Shop in Spring Grove, PA, and through the Tröegs To-Go Curbside service in Hershey, PA.
