And Now for Some Details: In Wisconsin, the cheese making legacy runs deep and examples of third-and fourth generation cheese makers carrying on the family tradition are common. Joe Widmer, of Widmer Cheese Cellars in tiny Theresa, Wis., is one such third-generation example. Born into the craft and raised with his six siblings in quarters above the cheese plant, Widmer has succeeded in building the business with a combination of strict adherence to tradition and savvy marketing. Widmer's is best known for producing Brick cheese and traditional stirred-curd Colby, both Wisconsin originals created in small towns nearby. More recently, Widmer has gained fame for his four-year cheddar, a 2002 ACS winner and, according to Joe, a specialty that's fast become a signature product, Changing demographics, in part, are credited with tipping of the scales in terms of sales and production from Brick to Cheddar.
"When my grandfather, John Widmer, immigrated to Wisconsin from Switzerland in 1905, the local population was heavily German. The market for a cheese such that surface-ripened Brick was strong, and logistics weren't an issue. He simply sold what he made right here. 

Today, demographics and taste have changed and the market for traditional Brick isn't as strong as it once was. We sell much more mild Brick then the authentic surface-ripened variety, and Cheddar and Colby are very strong. Most people today don't know what real Brick is." That said, Joe carries on Widmer's traditional Brick production-to the tune of 360,000 pounds a year. He still uses the same open vats in the 12,000 square-foot facility that his grandfather bought in 1922. And he still uses the same well-worn bricks that his grandfather used to press the whey from the cheese in the forms. In fact, he's credited as being the only cheesemaker in the country to continue to use real bricks as part of the procedure.
Like bars of white gold in a vault, Widmer's Brick cheeses line wooden curing room shelves from floor to ceiling, each receiving daily hand-washing with B-linen inoculated whey until they reach pungent perfection. At that point, they're wrapped first in parchment paper and then in foil so they can continue to ripen properly. "Real Brick should have a heady aroma, and the flavor intensifies greatly as it ages," Widmer says. "It's not for the timid, but cheese aficionados swoon over it."